ScienceFreePrintable

Gravity Investigation

A free science worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Gravity Investigation

Investigate gravity and air resistance using a fair-test plan. Do not drop objects from a height unless the space is safe. Answer each question using the evidence provided or your own planned investigation.

The science of falling

Gravity is an attractive force between objects that have mass. Near Earth’s surface, gravity pulls objects towards Earth and makes them accelerate downwards. Air resistance acts against an object’s motion through the air. The size and shape of an object affect how much air resistance it experiences. In a vacuum, where there is no air, objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of their mass.

1.A flat sheet and a tightly crumpled sheet have the same mass. In air, the crumpled sheet reaches the floor first. Which explanation best fits the evidence?

Gravity pulls only on the crumpled sheet.
The flat sheet experiences more air resistance.
The crumpled sheet has no mass.
Gravity pushes the flat sheet upwards.

2.According to the science section, what force pulls both paper shapes downwards, and what force acts upwards against their fall?

Plan a fair test

A science group wants to find out whether the shape of a paper sheet affects how quickly it falls. They can use two sheets of the same paper, a stopwatch and a safe drop zone.

3.Write a testable question the group could investigate about paper shape and falling time.

4.Name the variable the group should change, one variable they should measure, and two conditions they should keep the same to make this a fair test.

5.The group records these times from the same height: flat sheet 1.8 s, 1.6 s, 1.7 s; crumpled sheet 0.9 s, 1.0 s, 0.8 s. Calculate the mean time for each shape.

6.Use the mean times to state which shape fell faster. Explain how air resistance helps account for the result.

7.True or false: If a heavy object and a light object are dropped in a vacuum, gravity gives the heavier object a greater downward acceleration. Correct the statement if it is false.

TrueFalse

8.A feather and a small stone are released together in air. The stone reaches the ground first. Does this prove gravity does not act on the feather? Explain.

9.A student times each drop only once using a handheld stopwatch. Give one reason to repeat each drop and one way to improve the timing method.

10.Choose one everyday event in which gravity is acting. Describe the direction gravity pulls and name another force that may also affect the event.