I am participating in a science fair and our question is: Is the damage done to a surface proportional to the size of the sand striking itWe have our procedure, the only problem is my group is not sure how to measure the damage done to the surface of aluminum foil or a sheet of metalWe need to know this so that we can compare it to the mass of the grains of sand being blown at itAny help would be appreciated.
The referenced website concerns finding crater sizs in the solar systemHowever, the method used should be the same as what you will use for your science fair project! - The basic trends you should expect to see in data are: 1) Greater masses make deeper cratersCrater diameter is a little more questionable - at these low speeds, the diameter of the crater is more a reflection of the diameter of the object2) Greater velocity will give you greater depth and diameterOnce again, the diameter is somewhat dependent on what you dropYou should get increasing diameter if you used something like a ball, because an increasingly large cross-section will sink into the surface3) The smaller the angle of impact, the shallower the craterHowever, the diameter will tend to increase in one direction, making an elliptical crater4) The more a surface is compacted, the smaller and shallower the crater will be----- I hope this is helpful.
