FLIGHTS OF FANCY How Wing Shape Affects Flight

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Beryl Owen
6 years ago
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Grade Level: 3 rd 5 th ; 6 th 8 th Time: 45 minutes Standards: Next Generatin Science Standards ETS1 Engineering Design 3-5-ETS1-3: Plan and carry ut fair tests in which variables are cntrlled and

1 FLIGHTS OF FANCY Hw Wing Shape Affects Flight Summary/Purpse: The purpse f this activity is t simulate bird flight using mdel paper planes. Students will be able t differentiate between high and lw aspect ratis and determine flight patterns by measuring the wingspan and length f flying bjects. Grade Level: 3 rd 5 th ; 6 th 8 th Time: 45 minutes Standards: Next Generatin Science Standards ETS1 Engineering Design 3-5-ETS1-3: Plan and carry ut fair tests in which variables are cntrlled and failure pints are cnsidered t identify aspects f a mdel r prttype that can be imprved. MS-ETS1-2: Evaluate cmpeting design slutins using a systematic prcess t determine hw well they meet the criteria and cnstraints f the prblem. Disciplinary Cre Ideas ETS1.B: Develping Pssible Slutins Cmmn Cre State Standards, Mathematics CCSS.Math.Practice.MP5: Use apprpriate tls strategically. Materials: Prvided in the Bird Kit: Flights f Fancy student wrksheets (3 rd 5 th and 6 th 8 th wrksheets are prvided) Instructins fr flding paper planes Samples f cmpleted planes Pictures f flying birds Measuring tape Wing Types munting Nt prvided in the Bird Kit: Stp watch 8 ½ x 11 paper (3 sheets per tw-persn grup) Meter sticks Objectives: Students will: wrk in pairs t measure and recrd the wingspan f three mdel paper planes using measuring tls wrk in grups f tw t launch mdel planes and calculate and recrd the average distance, time, and speed using apprpriate units f three trials fr each mdel plane. wrk in pairs t interpret data and predict hw a third mdel paper plane s average distance, time, and speed will cmpare t the first and secnd mdel paper planes. discuss in a large grup abut the implicatins f wingspan n a flying bject s distance, time, and speed. Prcedure:

2 Intrductin Intrduce students t aspect ratis. Students can watch a vide f a plane. Additinally, students can imagine a raptr circling abve the interstate. If yu wish t measure the exact aspect rati fr each plane, then the instructins are as fllws: Set each paper plane n a duplicating machine. Make a cpy. Be careful t nt flatten the paper plane. Cut and weigh the image f the plane. Cut a 10 cm x 10 cm square frm the same paper as the plane and weigh it. Calculate the wing area f the plane using the weight f paper equivalent t 100 cm 2. Calculate the aspect rati accrding t the fllwing equatin: Aspect rati = (Wingspan) 2 /(Wing Area) Each mdel paper plane has the fllwing aspect ratis: Mdel #1 = 0.89 Wing area is cm 2. Mdel #2 = 1.68 Wing area is cm 2. Mdel #3 = 1.58 Wing area is cm 2. Separate students int grups f tw. Bdy Explain t students hw t fld paper planes using the instructins prvided in the kit. Additinally, students wh are visual learners can use samples f cmpleted planes t fld their paper int the crrect shape. Review instructins n the Flights f Fancy wrksheets. Discuss with students hw t cllect data fr distance, time, and speed.

3 Each grup f students shuld fld and fly tw planes fllwing Mdels #1 and #2. Third thrugh fifth grade students shuld name the mdel planes recrd bservatins after flying the tw mdel planes several times. Each grup will measure the length f the airplane and its wingspan t calculate a width t length rati. Students will recrd these values n the Flights f Fancy wrksheets. Prvide time fr sixth thrugh eighth grade students t practice a smth, cnsistent launch f paper planes t help imprve their results. After sixth thrugh eighth grade students practice paper plane launches, ne student in each grup will launch the first paper plane. The student s partner will measure the time (secnds) the plane stays in the air, the distance (meters) the plane flies, and the speed (distance/time) f the plane. Data will be cllected using the Flights f Fancy wrksheets. Measurements shuld nly be taken fr flights that are relatively straight. Each plane will be launched three times and trials will be averaged. Repeat this step with the secnd paper plane. Each grup shuld fld a third paper plane fllwing Mdel #3. Students will measure the length and wingspan f the paper plane and recrd these values n the Flights f Fancy wrksheets. Prir t launching the third paper plane, sixth thrugh eighth grade students will cmpare the wingspan t length rati f the third paper plane t the first and secnd paper planes. Students will predict the time (secnds) the third paper plane stays in the air, the distance (meters) the third paper plane flies, and the speed (distance/time) f the third paper plane. Students will recrd these measurements fr three trials and average the results n the Flights f Fancy wrksheets. (Predictin and data cllectin will differ between third thrugh fifth and sixth thrugh eighth grade students n their respective cllectin sheets.) Clsure Bring each grup f students tgether again. Prmpt third thrugh fifth grade students with the fllwing questin as a guide:

4 Describe sme ways in which wing shape, r wingspan, affects hw a plane flies. Prmpt six thrugh eighth grade students t discuss the activity using the fllwing questins as a guide: Which f the three paper planes flew the greatest distance? The shrtest distance? Hw did flight distance change with the wingspan t length rati? Which plane had the lngest flight time? The shrtest flight time? Hw did flight time change with the wingspan t length rati? Which plane flew the fastest? The slwest? Hw did flight speed change with the wingspan t length rati? Cmpare sixth thrugh eighth grade student respnses t each questin with the answers. The answers t each questin, respectively, are: Mdel #1 shuld fly the farthest. Mdel #2 shuld fly the shrtest distance. A lw width t length rati leads t greater distance traveled. Mdel #2 shuld fly the lngest. Mdel #1 shuld fly the shrtest amunt f time. A high width t length rati leads t lnger flight time. Mdel #1 shuld fly the fastest while Mdel #2 flies the slwest. A lw width t length rati leads t faster flight. Shw images f birds in flight t students. Students shuld predict hw each will fly, research hw each bird flies, cmpare the research t their riginal predictin fr each bird.

5 FLIGHTS OF FANCY Key Vcabulary: NOTES Aspect rati Assessment pssibilities: Make sure that all students participate in the activity. Cllect Flight f Fancy wrksheets, and evaluate student respnses fr accuracy. Allw students t discuss the lessn as a class after successful cmpletin f the lessn s bjectives. This discussin shuld reinfrce cncepts cvered during the lessns, such as aspect rati, and hw these cncepts are related t flight. Extensins: Several extensins can be incrprated t this lessn. Wing lading, r the mass carried per unit area f the wing (mass divided by wing area; g/cm 3 ), is a secnd feature that prfundly affects flight perfrmance. This feature strngly affects flight speed. Weight placed near the center f gravity can alter flight perfrmance. Students can study wing lading by adding a paper clip t the paper plane t analyze the effects f weight placement n flight. Using ne f the paper plane mdels frm this lab r anther paper plane mdel, students can mdify the mdel in sme way that will cause it t either fly faster, fly farther, r remain in the air lnger than the ther mdels tested. Students may fld the paper plane differently, cut the paper plane, r tape smetime t the plane. Students shuld chse nly ne f three characteristics t mdify. Befre testing the mdified mdel, students shuld explain why they think the mdified flight will imprve the riginal paper plane s characteristics. Students will launch the mdified paper plane and cllect data fr three trials. Given the results f the test, students may wish t incrprate additinal changes t the paper plane. Students will launch the mdel with imprvements and recrd data fr three trials. Students will describe whether they were able t create a plane with imprved flight perfrmance. Furthermre, students will explain whether the mdified paper plane perfrmed either better r wrse than the riginal mdel. Using the results calculated frm Flights f Fancy wrksheets, students can design and draw a plane fr ne f the fllwing situatins. Students shuld be prepared t explain the reasns behind their design: Setting a speed recrd between Medfrd and Hawaii Taking turists t bserve whales ff the Oregn cast Flying thrugh deep and narrw muntain canyns Backgrund infrmatin: Flight is a very exciting activity. Slight changes in wing shape r size will determine whether a flying bject, such as a plane r animal, can fly. Furthermre, these changes can determine if the flying bject is successful in flight. Wing shape has a prfund influence n the flight perfrmance f a flying bject, such as a plane. Pilts and flight engineers calculate the aspect rati f a plane s wings. The aspect rati is calculated as the wingspan (squared) divided by the wing area. Aspect rati can als be calculated as wingspan divided by the width f the wing.

6 An example f a plane with a high aspect rati is a sailplane r a glider. These planes have lng, narrw wings. Planes, such as fighter planes and crp dusters, with shrt and wide wings have lw aspect ratis. Birds als have aspect ratis that influence their flying success. Birds with high aspect ratis tend t fly slw, stay alft fr lng perids f time, and travel ver lng distances. A high aspect rati leads t slw flight with little lss f altitude. Birds with high aspect ratis have wings designed fr saring and gliding. Albatrsses and gulls have high aspect rati wings. The ppsite is true fr birds with lw aspect rati. These birds have shrt and wide wings designed fr rapid flight and maneuvering. These wings are prly suited fr gliding, thugh. Quail have relatively lw aspect rati wings. Aspect rati can be determined fr paper planes. The aspect rati f a paper plane is calculated as the width f the wing divided by the length f the plane. Althugh a crude measurement, this calculatin allws individuals t cmpare paper airplanes made frm a single sheet f the same paper.

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