Exploring Gravity and Air Resistance With Coffee Filters

Do you ever wonder why people fall slower with a parachute deployed? This low cost project explores the phenomenon of gravity and air resistance with coffee filters. We will explore this by using dropping various coffee filters of different shapes and mass to explore the how they are affected by gravity and air resistance.

Coffee Filters

Scissors

Camera/Laptop - If you want to take precise measurements

For this experiment, we need flat, thin, and normal coffee filter shapes. These different filter shapes are needed to visualize the relationship between air resistance and the cross-sectional area of the filters. We can achieve the creation of these three filters by using our hands and scissors.

Normal: Leave coffee filter as it is (default shape out of packaging)

Flat: Flatten coffee filter until it is wider than the normal size (as seen in the picture above)

Thin: Use scissors to cut around the coffee filter until it is thinner than the normal size (as seen in the picture above). Be sure to save the shavings and place them into the coffee so the mass won't be affected.

To increase the mass of the coffee filter, simply stack the filters to the desired weight. This way, the mass of each filter can be modified without changing the shape.

Using pen and paper, we can prepare for recording the results of the experiment. As seen in the picture above, we put two filters up against each other and see which filter hits the ground the fastest when dropped at an equal height above the ground. In my experiment I took two variables of mass and shape into account. These two variables are important when considering which filter will hit the ground first.

Here are some preliminary questions to consider before performing your experiment:

If the mass is the same but filter shapes are different, which filter will hit the ground first and why?

If filter shapes are the same but masses are different, which filter will hit the ground first and why?

Now that we have prepared for data collection, we can perform the experiment. Here are the steps to the experiment

1. Pick and choose two coffee filters. Differentiate in mass/shape as you please

2. When ready, choose a height to drop the filters from. For my experiment, I dropped them from about 4 feet above ground

3. Drop the filters with the thinner side of the coffee filter toward the ground

4. Record which filter hit the ground first

5. Compare with results and repeat as many times as desired

Congratulations! Now you have an idea of how gravity and air resistance works. Also note that with video recordings and spreadsheet software, you can take this a step further by gathering and comparing positional and velocity data of each of the filters when they are falling through the air (my example seen above). I hope you enjoyed this low cost, budget friendly instructable exploring gravity and air resistance.

-Nathan