DISCOVERING GRAVITY: WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN

Marsha Craig                Everett Elementary School
Debra Lester                Senn Metro Academy
Connie Henderson            Eli Whitney Elementary School
Mary Granderson             Senn Metro Academy

OBJECTIVES

1. Students will compare how fast objects of different weights fall. 
2. Students will make parachutes. 
3. Students will learn basic facts about gravity and the history of gravity. 

MATERIALS NEEDED
      
      12x12 piece of plastic
      4 - l6 inch pieces of string
      small weight (washer or nut)
      stopwatch
      masking tape                

RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES

     Divide class into groups.  Have one person in the group drop the string, the 
plastic and the weight.  Record the falling time of each object with the stopwatch. 
Discuss which had the fastest falling time and why. 

     Make a parachute by taping one piece of string to each corner of the plastic. 
Tie the weight to the ends of the string.  Toss parachute into the air. Observe and 
record the falling time. 

     Discuss the following topics with the class: Definition of Gravity; Galileo's 
and Aristotle's theories about falling objects; Newton's Laws of Universal Gravity.