Copters: Engineering Flight
Flying machines have a long history. One of the earliest known legends of man-made flying machines come from Greek mythology. The first “successful” flight is believed to have been completed in 559 AD, by the son of a Chinese emperor fleeing imprisonment. From Leonardo Davinci’s early work in aerodynamics circa 1480’s to today’s modern aviation technology, the interplay of aerodynamics, physics, and invisible forces have provided humans with centuries of challenges.
Let’s Begin!
Materials:
Copter template
Scissors
Directions:
Cut along the solid lines
Fold rectangle “A” along the dash line on top of Rectangle “B”.
Fold rectangle “C” along the dash line on top of Rectangle “A”.
Fold the bottom to hold together
Fold “D” forward
Fold “E” backward
Pinch the base and let it fly!
Things to Think About
While engineering, here are some questions to investigate:
Which copter spins the most? Why do you think this copter spins so much? Using only the materials you have can you make it spin more?
Which copter reaches the ground the quickest? Why do you think that copter falls the fastest? Using only the materials you have, what can you do to make it fall faster? What about slower?
Breaking Down the Science:
The Physics of Flying Machines
The copter in this experiment falls into a special category of flying machines called gliders. Because gliders lack the engines of other aircrafts, gliders are designed to utilize the naturally occurring forces of aerodynamics. According to the Glenn Research Center at NASA, there are three main factors that act on gliders: lift, weight, and drag.
Factors of Flight!
Lift is an upward-pushing force produced by the motion of the aircraft through the air. Lift must overcome the aircraft’s weight in order to fly. You increase or decrease the lift force of your aircraft by changing the wing shape of your copter. Increasing the surface area of the wings will increase the amount of air resistance lifting your copter up.
Drag is the resistive force of air pushing back on the aircraft’s motion.
Weight is the cumulative mass of the aircraft. You can increase the weight of your aircraft by adding materials such as paperclips or using heavier paper materials when designing your copter.
These three forces work together to produce flight. Explore how changing the factors above affects each copter’s performance.
STEM-Spark Stumpers:
See if you can solve these engineering challenges:
Observe the direction that your copter rotates. Can you get your copter to rotate in the opposite direction?
Notice how your copter always flies with the wings up? What can you do so that your copter flies upside down?
©STEMSpark LLC 2020