Should my data look like this?

[lumi1nescence]

THI IS URGENT!
I'm doing a stem fair project based on the link here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... #procedure

my data shows that reducing the number of parachutes decreases terminal velocity. Is this how it should be??

[Snehaarun]

Hi!
In theory, your terminal velocity should increase only when you use more parachutes. This is because using more parachutes would mean that you have a greater surface area — which in turn increases the air resistance and lowers the terminal velocity.
Since your data is conflicting with this, I would try making sure you have done these things:

1) Make sure the parachutes are the same size (or as close to the same size as you can get) — to eliminate another variable messing up the data.

2) If you’re doing the experiment outside, try to do the experiment on a day that is not windy, because that can increase air resistance and lower terminal velocity. If that’s not an option, make sure you add some weights/longer stings to the parachutes to make them a bit more stable — but make sure all the parachutes have the same weights/string lengths added to them.

3) Make sure that all the parachutes are deploying properly.

4) Play around with the design of the parachute itself — it could be that the dimensions are slightly small or that the material has poor air resistance properties (maybe try thin plastic or fabric).

Let me know if this helps and if you need more help about the experimental setup!