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Lesson 8 on Aeronautical Engineering: Paper Airplane, Final Design Review (November 29 & 30)

  1. The Paper Plane Contest will take place next class in the courtyard outside this building. Please be familiar with the contest rules before then.
  2. Each team will make their paper airplanes on the morning of the contest, using paper supplied by the teacher.
  3. On the morning of the competition, each team will be supplied with paper and an agenda to prepare for the competition.

Welcome to your Paper Airplane Final Considerations

Please type in the code above to demonstrate you are a human.
1. Provide the FIRST AND LAST NAMES of each person on your team.  Include any team member who is absent today.
2.

For the last few lessons we’ve been studying some of the principles of flight. In Lesson 7 we looked at some of those principles in our testing of variations of simple paper airplanes.


BEST PAPER AIRPLANES

You observed some paper airplanes (either your team or someone else) which performed much better than others. Describe any characteristics or trends you noticed in the best performing paper airplane(s). That is, what do they look like?

Specifically, address the following characteristics of the best performing planes, including…

What did the WINGS look like?
3. What did the BODY of the best performing paper airplane(s) look like?
4. What could you see about the DISTRIBUTION OF WEIGHT on the best performing paper airplane(s)?
5. WHAT ELSE did you notice about the best performing paper airplane(s)?
6.

Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how THRUST is addressed in the best performing airplane(s):
7. Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how DRAG is addressed in the best performing airplane(s):
8. Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how WEIGHT is addressed in the best performing airplane(s):
9. Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how LIFT is addressed in the best performing airplane(s):
10. WORST PAPER AIRPLANES

You also observed some paper airplanes (either your team or someone else) which performed much WORSE than others. Describe any characteristics or trends you noticed in the WORST performing paper airplane(s). That is, what do they look like?

Specifically, address the following characteristics of the WORST performing planes, including…

What did the WINGS look like?
11. What did the BODY of the WORST performing paper airplane(s) look like?
12. What could you see about the DISTRIBUTION OF WEIGHT on the WORST performing paper airplane(s)?
13. WHAT ELSE did you notice about the WORST performing paper airplane(s)?
14.

Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how THRUST is addressed in the worst performing airplane(s):
15. Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how DRAG is addressed in the WORST performing airplane(s):
16. Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how WEIGHT is addressed in the WORST performing airplane(s):
17. Based on your observations of paper airplanes tested in the last class, explain how LIFT is addressed in the WORST performing airplane(s):
18. YOUR entry in the Paper Airplane Contest.

Explain what you have learned about the principles of  flight that will be incorporated in your entries in the contest:
19. Explain what the paper airplane will look like that your team will enter into the contest in order win the competition for DISTANCE?  (A) Address wing size/shape, (B) overall shape, and (C) distribution of weight.  (D) Approximately how long and wide will your airplane be?
20. Explain what the paper airplane will look like that your team will enter into the contest in order win the competition for LONGEST TIME IN THE AIR?    (A) Address wing size/shape, (B) overall shape, and (C) distribution of weight.  (D) Approximately how long and wide will your airplane be?