Paper Airplane Lab
Question: How does adding paper clips to paper airplanes affect the flying time of it?
Research:
Research:
- Paper aiplanes with long nose and vertical rudders give good stablity.
- Paper airplanes with pointier noses are able to resist more wind.
- Paper airplanes do not float in air they are sucked into it.
- Mass can change the distance flown.
- Lift and wieght balnce it out until it looses control.
- Airplane wings are created to give a lift.
- If a paper airplane has bigger wing there will be longer flight
- If a paper airplane has smaller wings, there will be a shorter, but faster flight.
Hypothesis:
From my research, the less paper clips added the faster the flight time will be.
IV: Amount of paperclips on each paper airplane (mass of each paper airplane)
DV: Paper airplane fly time
Control Group: Same type of airplane model and same amount of space was used.
Materials:
Methods:
1. First, take your three sheets of paper and make them into paper airplanes; all the three should be of the same kind of paper airplane (tutorials can be found online, at Google or Youtube).
2. After creating the paper airplanes, take one paper airplane and take one paper clip; using the paper clip, place it onto either of the airplane’s wings.
3. Then, take another airplane and the remaining two paper clips. Place one paper clip on each wing.
4. Now, you should have a paper airplane with no paper clips, one paper airplane with one paper clip, and one paper airplane with two paper clips.
5. At this time, take out your timer. Take the paper airplane with no clips and when the timer says go, without too much force, throw the paper airplane. As soon as it reaches the ground, have your timer stop and record this data.
6. Repeat step 5 for each different paper airplane 5 times. Record your data.
Data Table:
From my research, the less paper clips added the faster the flight time will be.
IV: Amount of paperclips on each paper airplane (mass of each paper airplane)
DV: Paper airplane fly time
Control Group: Same type of airplane model and same amount of space was used.
Materials:
- At least 3 pieces of paper
- At least 3 fairly large paper clips
- Area of open space
- Timer/Stopwatch
- Maybe a partner to assist you with the timing
- Chart to record data
Methods:
1. First, take your three sheets of paper and make them into paper airplanes; all the three should be of the same kind of paper airplane (tutorials can be found online, at Google or Youtube).
2. After creating the paper airplanes, take one paper airplane and take one paper clip; using the paper clip, place it onto either of the airplane’s wings.
3. Then, take another airplane and the remaining two paper clips. Place one paper clip on each wing.
4. Now, you should have a paper airplane with no paper clips, one paper airplane with one paper clip, and one paper airplane with two paper clips.
5. At this time, take out your timer. Take the paper airplane with no clips and when the timer says go, without too much force, throw the paper airplane. As soon as it reaches the ground, have your timer stop and record this data.
6. Repeat step 5 for each different paper airplane 5 times. Record your data.
Data Table:
Graph:
Analysis:
The graph represents five trials of each paper airplane. On average the paper airplane with no paper clips had the fastest flying time. On average the paper airplane with two paper clips had the slowest flying time.
Conslusion:
Claim: The paper airplane with no paper clips had the fastest flying time.
Evidence: Five trials were held for each experiment, and at the end I calculated each of the averages. The average flight time for the paper airplane with no paper clips was 2.514 seconds. For the paper airplane with two paper clips the average time was 2.33 seconds. The average time for the paper airplane with two paper clips was 2.148 seconds. Overall the fastest time in general was for the paper airplane with no paper clips.
Reasoning: My hypothesis was that the paper airplane with the least number of paper clips would have the fastest flight time, which was proven correct in my experiment. From my research I can conclude that mass affects flight time, because of the Bernoulli's Principle which states that the lower the mass the faster the object goes. This was proven in my experiment because the more mass (the more paper clips added) the faster the airplane went, and that is why the airplane with no paper clips had the average fastest flight time. My experiment was also slightly altered becuase of uncontrollable events. Such as the thrust, the throw of the airplane, the force put into each throw can never be exaclty the same. So, it may have slightly affected the results. Another uncontrollable event was also that the human cannot hit the timer at the exact moment in time. These variables were kept as constant as possible, for they could not be kept perfect. Therefore the time might be a second off or so. Overall I learned that the more mass put on an object (paper airplane) the slower of a flight time it will have, and the less mass put on an object the faster of a flight time it will have.
The graph represents five trials of each paper airplane. On average the paper airplane with no paper clips had the fastest flying time. On average the paper airplane with two paper clips had the slowest flying time.
Conslusion:
Claim: The paper airplane with no paper clips had the fastest flying time.
Evidence: Five trials were held for each experiment, and at the end I calculated each of the averages. The average flight time for the paper airplane with no paper clips was 2.514 seconds. For the paper airplane with two paper clips the average time was 2.33 seconds. The average time for the paper airplane with two paper clips was 2.148 seconds. Overall the fastest time in general was for the paper airplane with no paper clips.
Reasoning: My hypothesis was that the paper airplane with the least number of paper clips would have the fastest flight time, which was proven correct in my experiment. From my research I can conclude that mass affects flight time, because of the Bernoulli's Principle which states that the lower the mass the faster the object goes. This was proven in my experiment because the more mass (the more paper clips added) the faster the airplane went, and that is why the airplane with no paper clips had the average fastest flight time. My experiment was also slightly altered becuase of uncontrollable events. Such as the thrust, the throw of the airplane, the force put into each throw can never be exaclty the same. So, it may have slightly affected the results. Another uncontrollable event was also that the human cannot hit the timer at the exact moment in time. These variables were kept as constant as possible, for they could not be kept perfect. Therefore the time might be a second off or so. Overall I learned that the more mass put on an object (paper airplane) the slower of a flight time it will have, and the less mass put on an object the faster of a flight time it will have.
Citations:
- "Paper Airplane Experiment." - For Kids. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. - Amazing Paper Airplanes. n.d. Web. 19 February 2013.
http://www.amazingpaperairplanes.com/Favorites.html. - Artificial Intelligence. n.d. Web. 19 February 2013.
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~leake/papers/p-01-07/p-01-07.html. - Best Paper Airplanes. n.d. Web. 19 February 2013. http://www.bestpaperairplanes.com/.
- How Things Fly. n.d. Web. 19 February 2013.
http://howthingsfly.si.edu/. - How to Make Paper Airplanes. n.d. Web. 19 February 2013.
<http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/paper-airplanes.htm/printable>.