Penny and Feather Drop

PIRA: 1C20.10

Overview:

When measuring the time it takes for an object to fall, we must consider all forces that are acting on an object. With lighter objects, air resistance becomes a bigger factor for falling through our atmosphere. With a vacuum tube, we can see how objects fall when there is no atmosphere.

Materials:

Vacuum tube with penny and feather, and a vacuum pump with hose.

Setup:

Put the tube and the vacuum pump on a table for use.

How to:

Show the students that the penny does reach the bottom of the tube before the feather does. Then hook up the vacuum pump via hose to the tube and turn it on. After a minute, close the valve and take the hose off of the tube. Then show the students that the penny and the feather reach the bottom of the tube at the same time.

Safety:

Do not place anything over the valve when releasing the vacuum. Do not swing the tube around.