Middle School Paper Airplane Projects
Although the complicated physics behind aerodynamics might be overwhelming for middle schoolers, paper airplanes are a good way to introduce the basics of flight in an engaging, hands-on way. Because they're low cost and easy to modify, you can encourage your students to experiment, helping them to gain an understanding of how real airplanes work.
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Construct an Airfoil
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Take a piece of stiff paper and fold it into the characteristic shape of an airfoil --- an airplane's wing as viewed from the side. It should be flat on the bottom and curved along the top. Use a fan blowing at its lowest speed and hold the paper airfoil so that the air flows over it. Have your students perform this experiment as well, so that they can see that, when held level, the airfoil wants to rise in the current of air --- demonstrating the aerodynamic force of "lift." Vary the angle of the airfoil to cause it to rise sharply or descend --- in aerodynamics, this is known as the "angle of attack."
Demonstrate Thrust
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Real airplanes rely on "thrust" --- any force that causes the aircraft to move forward, like a propeller, a rocket, or a jet engine. You can demonstrate this same force by creating a makeshift catapult (like aircraft carriers use to launch aircraft) with a yardstick, a rubber band, and a paper airplane. Secure one end of the rubber band around the bottom of the yardstick, and launch the paper airplane by pulling the rubber band and hooking it around the back of the paper airplane (some tape or a paper clip can give the airplane some structural rigidity). Measure the flight distance when the rubber band is pulled back a few inches versus when it's pulled back a foot or more: the more thrust the aircraft has, the longer it will fly.
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Modify Control Surfaces
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By cutting little flaps in the backs of the wings of a paper airplane, you can demonstrate control surfaces to your students. Elevators are flaps that move up or down together --- they make the airplane pitch up or down. Ailerons are flaps that move in opposite directions --- they make the airplane roll from side to side. Modify the control surfaces of a paper airplane to help it stay in the air as long as possible by encouraging it to gain altitude and removing any natural rolling tendency that would make it unstable.
Design Paper Airplanes
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Show your students how to fold a basic paper airplane, and then encourage them to take the next step by modifying the design --- for instance, to make it faster or to give it a longer range. If your students need ideas, suggest that they change the folds in the airplane to give it longer or shorter wings, increase how sharp the angle of the wing is when viewed from above, or fold the ends of the wings up to create "winglets" like those seen on many commercial airliners. Have them record the results of their experiments and encourage them to refine their work --- this is a good introduction to the scientific method, which encourages the testing of hypotheses through repeated experimentation.
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References
- Photo Credit Michael Blann/Lifesize/Getty Images
