The goal of this challenge is to teach you about the fundamentals of engineering design. After learning some basic physics concepts related to flight, you will be challenged to put that new knowledge to use in designing a paper airplane to perform the best for a certain characteristic. Listed below are the materials you will need including the documents with the physics lessons and challenges. We have also included video supplements to go with each lesson to assist your understanding of the material. Be safe and have fun!
Materials: You will need…
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- Printer Paper
- Computer
- Creativity
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Theory:
Design Challenges:
Use the knowledge gained in the previous lessons to complete the challenges below! Don’t worry if your plane does not fly well on the first flight. Use the knowledge to modify your plane to fix the problems that you identify while testing. If you have a hard time fixing problems with your plane, see the troubleshooting section for tips on how to fix your plane.
Challenge #1 (Distance):
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- Design a plane that flies the farthest distance without touching the ground
- Key Topics:
- Center of Gravity: try having a balanced center of gravity so the plane flies level
Challenge #2 (Time in the air):
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- Design a plane that stays in the air as long as possible before it hits the ground
- Key Topics:
- Lift and Gravity: try balancing lift and gravity to keep the plane from falling too quickly to the ground
- The force of gravity can be changed by changing the weight of the plane
- The force of lift can be changed by modifying the angle of attack (see center of gravity handout and lift handout)
- Lift and Gravity: try balancing lift and gravity to keep the plane from falling too quickly to the ground
*BONUS* Challenge (Speed):
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- Design a plane that flies as fast as possible
- You can race two different planes if you want!
- Hints:
- Try adjust the size and weight of the plane (*Why and how do these changes affect the way the plane flies)
- Design a plane that flies as fast as possible
Troubleshooting:
Part of the design process is making mistakes and improving on them! If your plane doesn’t fly like you want or expect, try changing things about the plane’s design and seeing how that changes the flight. Here are some tips to get you started in the right direction.
- The plane flies up too quickly and falls over/does a backflip
- Why: This happens because the plane has too much lift and it causes the plane to slow down.
- Fix: Try adjusting the center of gravity closer to the center of the plane so it flies more level → this will make the angle of attack flatter, which will reduce the lift and prevent the plane from quickly flying upwards.
- The plane flies downward too quickly
- Why: This happens because there is too much weight at the front of the plane which causes the angle of attack to rotate and point the plane downward
- Fix: Try adjusting the center of gravity towards the back of the plane or bending the back of the wings up
- Bending the back of the wings up will cause the air to push the plane and rotate the nose upwards
- The plane flies in a circle and does not go very far
- Why: This could happen due to an imbalance of lift between the wings
- Fix: Try bending the wings upwards relative to the planes body (this will increase the stability of the plane and help it from veering from side to side)