Paper Plane Engineering project
Paper Planes Can Fly That Far?
Identify the Problem:
- An aircraft company has asked two individuals to work on an contemporary airplane design that would become the leading construction in the industry. Before creating the actual plan for an authentic plane, both individuals experiment with paper airplanes. The task at hand is to design and build a model plane that can travel a great distance. Only a maximum of two sheets of 8 ½ x 11 printer paper and one paper clip are permitted for this analysis. Measuring materials such as tape measures and stop watches are also needed in this experiment. Each individual is given a total of forty five minutes to test and build three planes for a grand total of six. Out of the six planes, both individuals must compromise and choose the best plane out of the rest; however, they must produce a total of five trials measuring the paper plane’s speed and distance. Last but not least, all trials should be held outdoors for greater results and challenges.
Research:
- Aerodynamics
- Wings, head, tail, body shape
- Four forces of balance: Thrust, Drag, Lift, Gravity/Weight
- (The Four Forces)
-Drag is crucial because it’s “the force that acts opposite to the direction of motion”.
-Lift is essential because it’s “the force that acts at a right angle to the direction of motion through the air”.
-Weight is critical because “it acts in a downward direction—toward the center of the Earth”.
Brainstorm:
- Folding the plane right is very important because when it’s symmetrical it will fly better. The folds will have to be completely flat and precise.
- Have to know how to throw the plane. Thrusting it up, in front or below?
- Maybe using an arrow like back will increase the planes drag?
Prototype:
(Printable Templates)
- The Arrow- A very narrow paper plane that has a miniscule head. It’s wings are very broad giving the plane a ‘V’ shape. It didn’t fly too far and it’s drag wasn’t very good.
- Delta- Compared to The Arrow, this plane was exceptional. It’s drag was better because of the folded tails in the wings and it had better lift. Like The Arrow, this plane has a miniature head giving it a better thrust.
- Classic Dart- This paper plane has a better drag and balance as well as lift because of the middle design located under the paper plane. Due to this design the plane had better balance, letting it glide through the air. This was the top choice throughout these prototypes.
- Designs are at the bottom of this page...
- Out of the six planes both individuals created, they picked a small airplane with a narrow front and a wider back. This paper airplane has a tight front and a loose rear. Not only that, but there is more weight in the head of the plane making it more easier to thrust. There is also folded wings in the back of the tail. Out of all the designs this design made it through a great distance. Out of all the other paper planes this one had more weight in its head making it lift faster. The wide wings helped lift that weight and the folded tails gave a little drag.
- This experiment went very well. The goal was to make the paper plane fly the longest distance and the individuals accomplished this. However, they didn’t use the one paperclip assigned to them. This set the experiment back because as the paper plane’s flying a very great distance it needs more weight and binding restriction in the front so it can fly farther. When having a tight front it helps the wings expand when the wind passes while flying. Overall, the design handled the condition very well.
Test:
Trail # Distance (m) Time (s) Velocity (m/s)
1 11 m 2.35 s 4.68 m/s
2 5.8 m 2.14 s 2.71 m/s
3 7.6 m 1.64 s 4.63 m/s
4 8 m 1.32 s 6.06 m/s
5 5.5 m 1.84 s 2.99 m/s
Evaluate and Redesign:
- What made the individual’s design successful was their paper plane’s tight front and loose back, the heavy head, the folded tails and the hard thrust. However, the lack of a paper clip set back the plane's potential for a greater distance and faster time. Not only that but the thrust still needs some work. It also needs to be thrown higher so it has a chance to soar in the air before landing because sometimes one partner would throw it directly in front of them, giving the plane a lack of a good thrust. The plan for a substantial airplane design will now be ready to be made.
Work Cited:
(Printable Templates)
Bailey, Kevin. "FUN PAPER AIRPLANES." Free Paper Airplane Designs-Printable Templates. Copyright 2006-2015 Kevin Bailey. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.funpaperairplanes.com/>.
(The Four Forces)
"The Four Forces | How Things Fly." The Four Forces | How Things Fly. Corporate Flight Management, Inc. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <https://howthingsfly.si.edu/forces-flight/four-forces>.
(What Makes a Paper Plane Fly) <Very good article to read.
"What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly? | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. TM ® & © 2015 Scholastic Inc. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-makes-paper-airplanes-fly>.
Science Tool kit
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Located on the very bottom of the google drive document.
Click on the paper plane designs to be redirected to a PDF. Enjoy :)