Hi
Doug,
Good
point on the density of a bowling ball. Intuitively, I would have
guessed
the
density was around 2 g/cm^3, when in fact it is barely above 1 g/cm^3
--
about
1.15 for a 16-lb ball (the mass I was assuming).
An ordinary chondrite
of
the same size would weigh close to 50 lbs! So
yes, air friction is going to
be a
serious factor, and a bowling ball isn't going to have a chance of
reaching
the
terminal velocity of a chondrite (let alone that of an
iron).
To do
this experiment properly, then, they're going to need to drop an
object
of the
proper density. --Rob
