To demonstrate 2 swimmers with different
heights in this controlled experiment, 2
wooden blocks were used. One had
a mass of 143g and a length of 11cm, the other
block had a mass of 235g and a
length of 18cm. The blocks were tied to strings which
were tied to weights. A pulley
was used to obtain a constant force. The blocks were
placed in a water filled aquarium
that was 50cm long. Styrofoam was attached to the
blocks to be the target of the
motion detector. When the weights (suspended from
the pulley on the opposite end
of the aquarium) were released, the blocks would accelerate
to the end of the aquarium.
Results show that the longer block
(18cm) required the same amount of force to get to
the other end as the shorter block
(11cm). This proves that objects which are long and thin
have no advantage over objects
which are short and thin. However, that statement is true when the objects
are of different lengths and masses. If the blocks were of the same mass,
different results might be produced. When the weights doubled, the velocity
doubled; therefore, Force equals Mass times velocity (F = mv).
Copyright 1997. The Science House.