What a Drag!
What a Drag!
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Amber Chen
Teaching Coordinator, International Department
Amber Chen
Teaching Coordinator, International Department
When you walk through water, the water will push back against you. Did you know that air will resist your movement too? Our grade four students are going to test this idea by making a parachute in KCFS class this semester. Grab an umbrella to observe air resistance at home!
You will need:
● an umbrella ● a chair or sofa
● floors covered with a carpet or thick material
What to do?
Try to jump off a chair or sofa without holding an umbrella onto the carpet. How did you feel?
Now try jumping off a chair or sofa while holding an umbrella open. Did you feel that something was different?
What happens?
Jumping with an open umbrella will make you fall slower.
Why?
When you jump off a sofa with an umbrella open, you will feel the umbrella trying to escape from your hand. This is because the air is pushing the umbrella. This pushing power is called air resistance, or drag. This is also how a parachute works. When a parachute falls down, the air will push it and cause it to fall slowly. You can see this power outside if you watch carefully. You may see a leaf falling off a tree, gently floating down to the ground. What other examples of air resistance can you see? Keep exploring to find out!
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