Feather and Coin

This demonstration shows how the presence of air affects free fall. If a feather and coin are dropped at the same time, the coin will land first. However, if the two are dropped in vacuum, they will land at the same time.

Setup:

Connect the feather - coin tube to the vacuum pump using the tube. Plug in the vacuum pump to start pumping the tube to vacuum. Seal the tube by turning the knob at the end and disconnect the vacuum pump. Tilt the tube to make the feather and coin fall.

Notes:

This can be done twice, once before pumping and once after to show the effect of air resistance.

Courses Used In:

Coming Soon

Discussion and Polling Questions:

Coming Soon

Equipment Needed:

  • Feather - Coin tube

  • Vacuum Pump