PREFACE-
Air is all around us. We know that air can hold up heavier-than-air objects such as kites, gliders, and airplanes, but how does it do that? What forces act on an airplane or glider? Students will use aerodynamic concepts to explain how the motion of air and other forces act on gliders and other aircraft.
Gliders and other aircraft use wings to develop the lift needed to fly. Wing shapes, sometimes called airfoils, provide lift. Wings must have the proper angle of attack, which is the angle at which a wing meets the flow of air. The airfoils, because of their design, can overcome gravity acting on the aircraft. Research has shown that a wing with a streamlined shape and a body or fuselage that is streamlined can help overcome drag.
In this module, students will learn about the forces involved in flight as well as Newton’s Laws of Motion. Then they will design, build, and test an experimental model glider to find out how air and other forces affect its flight. In addition, they will apply a design process to the problem of delivering aid to an area where supplies must be airlifted in and dropped to the ground from an aircraft.
In this lesson a story line has been written involving three students, Angelina, Suzi, and Mylo, as they learn about aeronautics. The lesson is structured in such a way that the teacher may choose to read the story to the students in order to build listening skills, or the teacher may have students read the story on their own as part of class work or homework.
Next Generation Science Standards covered in this unit:
3-PS2-1
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2
Make observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.
3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
Air is all around us. We know that air can hold up heavier-than-air objects such as kites, gliders, and airplanes, but how does it do that? What forces act on an airplane or glider? Students will use aerodynamic concepts to explain how the motion of air and other forces act on gliders and other aircraft.
Gliders and other aircraft use wings to develop the lift needed to fly. Wing shapes, sometimes called airfoils, provide lift. Wings must have the proper angle of attack, which is the angle at which a wing meets the flow of air. The airfoils, because of their design, can overcome gravity acting on the aircraft. Research has shown that a wing with a streamlined shape and a body or fuselage that is streamlined can help overcome drag.
In this module, students will learn about the forces involved in flight as well as Newton’s Laws of Motion. Then they will design, build, and test an experimental model glider to find out how air and other forces affect its flight. In addition, they will apply a design process to the problem of delivering aid to an area where supplies must be airlifted in and dropped to the ground from an aircraft.
In this lesson a story line has been written involving three students, Angelina, Suzi, and Mylo, as they learn about aeronautics. The lesson is structured in such a way that the teacher may choose to read the story to the students in order to build listening skills, or the teacher may have students read the story on their own as part of class work or homework.
Next Generation Science Standards covered in this unit:
3-PS2-1
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2
Make observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.
3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.