My group for this unit, which (once again) consisted of Casey and I, decided to do something a little unusual for this project. We did a hybrid hybrid car physics of sports video. This means we basically did whatever we wanted. What we wanted was to make a presentation about the physics of the many types of paper airplanes, which can be seen below. During this project, we made many more paper airplanes than the ones shown on the presentation, but we only took the noteworthy ones past the testing phase.
Concepts Used:
Drag: Also known as air resistance, drag is the force acting on the plane that is caused by the air molecules it is displacing during it's flight. Drag acts in the opposite direction in which the plane is traveling. If the drag is strong enough, the plane will stall out, and fail to continue to travel. Drag can be minimized by making a plane aerodynamic.
Weight: Weight does not do anything on it's own, so this term is slightly misleading. Weight (in this case) actually refers to the force of gravity. Gravity acts in a downwards direction on a plane, seeking to accelerate it at 9.8 meters per second squared. You cannot counteract gravity, but a plane can be given a large wing surface to mass ratio, to help lift fight it.
Lift: Lift is the most important force affecting an airplane in flight. Lift counteracts gravity by attempting to accelerate the plane upwards. While lift never wins it's fight against gravity, it is what makes long flights possible. Lift is created using precisely shaped and angled wings to divide the air. The air that asses under the wings is made into a high pressure zone, and the air above the wings into a low pressure zone. The high pressure zone then attempts to expand into the low pressure zone, pushing the wings, and plane, upward (or slowing its fall). As stated before, well shaped and angled wings are key to generating enough lift to prolong flight.
Thrust: Thrust is the final major force that acts upon a plane in flight. It counteracts drag and allows a plane to move forward. Paper airplanes differ from normal planes here, as normal planes have propellers or rockets to maintain thrust. Paper airplanes don't, so most of the thrust comes from the initial toss. It is important to note that to much thrust, especially on top heavy planes, can cause them to go out of control. It is also important to note that some small amount of thrust is generated during flight by the high pressure zone under the plane's wings. If a paper airplane is not working, adjusting the initial thrust may help.
Velocity and acceleration were also used in this project. To see how they work, click the button below.
Drag: Also known as air resistance, drag is the force acting on the plane that is caused by the air molecules it is displacing during it's flight. Drag acts in the opposite direction in which the plane is traveling. If the drag is strong enough, the plane will stall out, and fail to continue to travel. Drag can be minimized by making a plane aerodynamic.
Weight: Weight does not do anything on it's own, so this term is slightly misleading. Weight (in this case) actually refers to the force of gravity. Gravity acts in a downwards direction on a plane, seeking to accelerate it at 9.8 meters per second squared. You cannot counteract gravity, but a plane can be given a large wing surface to mass ratio, to help lift fight it.
Lift: Lift is the most important force affecting an airplane in flight. Lift counteracts gravity by attempting to accelerate the plane upwards. While lift never wins it's fight against gravity, it is what makes long flights possible. Lift is created using precisely shaped and angled wings to divide the air. The air that asses under the wings is made into a high pressure zone, and the air above the wings into a low pressure zone. The high pressure zone then attempts to expand into the low pressure zone, pushing the wings, and plane, upward (or slowing its fall). As stated before, well shaped and angled wings are key to generating enough lift to prolong flight.
Thrust: Thrust is the final major force that acts upon a plane in flight. It counteracts drag and allows a plane to move forward. Paper airplanes differ from normal planes here, as normal planes have propellers or rockets to maintain thrust. Paper airplanes don't, so most of the thrust comes from the initial toss. It is important to note that to much thrust, especially on top heavy planes, can cause them to go out of control. It is also important to note that some small amount of thrust is generated during flight by the high pressure zone under the plane's wings. If a paper airplane is not working, adjusting the initial thrust may help.
Velocity and acceleration were also used in this project. To see how they work, click the button below.
Reflections:
In this project, I learned quite a few things about myself. One thing I learned is that I am very good at working alone when necessary. When my partner Casey was absent, I took most of the data for the planes that we used. Another thing I learned was that I am pretty good at making paper airplanes. Making the planes we used seemed very easy to me, even though some of them were fairly complex. Another thing I learned was that I can be distracted much more than I thought. Casey was very good at distracting me, which may be in part because I wanted to be distracted. The final thing I learned was that I can disguise procrastination. Looking back, I see many times during this project where I wasn't doing anything useful, but I was able to excuse it to myself by saying that I was being useful. This is a problem I will have to look out for in the future.
In this project, I learned quite a few things about myself. One thing I learned is that I am very good at working alone when necessary. When my partner Casey was absent, I took most of the data for the planes that we used. Another thing I learned was that I am pretty good at making paper airplanes. Making the planes we used seemed very easy to me, even though some of them were fairly complex. Another thing I learned was that I can be distracted much more than I thought. Casey was very good at distracting me, which may be in part because I wanted to be distracted. The final thing I learned was that I can disguise procrastination. Looking back, I see many times during this project where I wasn't doing anything useful, but I was able to excuse it to myself by saying that I was being useful. This is a problem I will have to look out for in the future.