Science Projects for Which Paper Airplane Flies Farthest
Paper airplanes make a simple yet effective subject for a science project. Measuring how far different models and makes of paper airplanes fly is easy to accomplish and can yield some interesting results. In all cases, remember to fly each plane a minimum of five times in order to get an average flight distance. You should also set up a large space and have a measuring tape handy to assess the results.
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Compare Wing Spans
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This project compares the effectiveness of different wing spans of paper airplanes. Make a "standard" paper airplane by folding a sheet of paper in half, folding in the top two corners until they meet and bending back roughly 1 inch of paper on each side to make the wings. Make another plane with the corners folded twice and another with the corners folded three times. Fly all three planes a minimum of five times and take the average flight distance. Which one flew the furthest? How do you account for this?
Compare Designs
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Make one "standard" paper airplane and two or three other models. Come up with some on your own, or use some of the many designs and instructional videos available on the Internet. (See Resources.) You might even try simply crunching a piece of paper into a ball and seeing how far you can throw it. Do at least five flights for each plane and measure the results. Which had the longest average flight? The shortest? Can you come to some conclusion about what kind of design is best?
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Compare Weights
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Make two or three paper airplanes using the same design but with paper of different weights. Try regular copy paper, construction paper, glossy stock, cardstock and even sandpaper. Before you do your test flights, guess which plane you think will fly the farthest. Will more weight make a plane fly farther or will it weigh it down? Record your results and measure them against your hypothesis.
Compare Throwing Techniques
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Make one paper airplane of any design. Come up with three or four different throwing techniques and perform at least five flights for each. Try throwing straight ahead, up in the air, a quick side-arm, upside down or a light toss. Which worked best? Why do you think this is? Will your conclusions be able to help in other domains of science?
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
