Young Scientists at Work!

Our class has begun its journey to become the critical thinkers and scientists of tomorrow by learning all about the scientific process.

Science is much more than a collection of facts - it is a METHOD, a way of systematically finding out how the world works, using valid evidence and rigorous processes.

We posed a simple question - does the shape of a parachute canopy affect its effectiveness in slowing down a weight? Specifically - will a circular parachute slow down a falling weight more than a square weight?

As this is a scientific investigation, we had to think about how to make our results valid and fair. We had to isolate our independent variable and control as many other variables as possible, including:

• The area of each parachute
• The type of material
• The number and position of the strings
• The weight representing a 'person'
• The height dropped from

As you can see from our photos, the students were very engaged and excited. We have yet to complete the investigation but will let you know our results!