Paper Airplane Testing
Engineering | 30+ minutes
In this lab, students will create, test, and alter paper airplane designs. What keeps planes from falling from the sky?
Materials Needed
For the group:
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Paper
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Tape
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Glue
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Scissors
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Paper clips (for weight)
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Playdough (for weight)
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Paper airplane design book, idea sheets, etc. (check out foldnfly.com for tons of ideas)
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Testing area. (Areas with 12 inch square tiles are particularly convenient for measurements.)
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Measuring tapes/yard sticks (If no access to 12 inch tiles)
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Worksheets to record results
Steps:
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Look through design ideas and select the one that you think will go the farthest.
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Build the airplane per the design specifications.
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Test the plane three times. Write down all three distances.
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Add paperclips or playdough for weight.
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Make a prediction of how the added weight might change the plane’s performance.
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Test that prediction with three more flights and write those distances.
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Change the location of the weight, make a prediction, test it, and write down the results.
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Move the weights and test it again, if time permits.