Coffee Filter Lab: Finding Air Resistance & Terminal Velocity

[Jonathen]

Homework Statement

We dropped coffee filters from 4.39 M recording the time it took for them to fall, and their masses as followed.
1 Filter- Mass= .86G, Time it took to hit the ground= 3.94s
2 Filters- Mass= 1.76g, Time it took to hit the ground= 3.25s
3 Filters- Mass= 2.72g, Time it took to hit the ground= 2.56s
4 Filters- Mass= 3.63g, Time it took to hit the ground= 2.06s
5 Filters- Mass= 4.56g, Time it took to hit the ground= 1.74s

I essentially need to find Air Resistance for all of the 5 tests, Constant of Air Resistance, Terminal velocity, and any other relevant variables, but am not sure what formulas to use as my teacher has not fully explained it to us or gave us the formulas, Thank You in advance.

 

[PhanthomJay]

Essentially, the coffee filters, being light with relatively large surface areas exposed to the air, reach terminal velocity very quickly, so for all intent and purpose, you can assume in each case that the filter or filters move at constant speed throughout their fall, then explain this in your error analysis. So first calculate the speed in each case, then since the filters are moving at constant velocity, you can apply Newton's __??___ law to each case and note that the air resistance must be equal to __?___________ for that case. Then look up the formula for air resistance (Drag)...it is generally either Drag = kV or drag = kv^2, where k is a constant that is the same for all cases. Your lab results should determine whether the air resistance is linear or quadratic, that is, whether it is a function of v or v^2.