We think the distance will increase with angle until it reaches a "sweet spot." Then it will drop off. This is because a certain angle will cause enough lift to keep the plane level, but too large of an angle will cause the plane to go too far upward, and then straight down.
We believe the velocity will decrease close to linearly as we increase the flap angle. This is because there will be more drag that will slow the plane down.
We believe that the heavier the paper is, the farther the plane will fly. This is due to the higher mass causing a higher potential and kinetic energy.
We believe that the heavier the paper is, the faster the plane will fly. This is due to the higher mass causing a higher potential and kinetic energy.
We believe that drag will be proportional to velocity squared. This is because of the drag equation seen in the analysis section below.
Project
Overview
INTRO
The objective of this project is to analyze how altering a paper airplane changes its performance. We will change both the weight of the paper used as well as the drag of the plane. We will see how this affects both the distance and speed of the paper airplane.
We believe that there will be a “sweet spot” in the amount of drag in regards to the distance flown. With respect to velocity though, the higher drag will cause a decrease in the velocity. As the weight of the plane increases, it will increase both the distance and velocity of the plane since it will have more potential and kinetic energy.
HYPOTHESIS
Data Collection
​test we will measure the total distance the
plane flies as well as the average velocity in the first meter of travel. Distance will be measured where the plane hits the ground. Velocity will be measured by using a GoPro to take slow motion videos of the first meter of travel. We will see how many frames it takes to travel one meter and divide that by the frame rate to find the time it took. Dividing one meter by the time will give us the average velocity of the first meter of travel.
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We will also use the velocities measured above to find the relationship between drag and velocity. We will compare this to the drag equation shown in the Analysis section below.
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We will use the same launcher system to compare the paper weights to speed and distance. The same measurement tools will also be used to find distance and velocity. We will compare three different weight papers. These will be regular printer paper, construction paper, and cardstock. We will use a scale to measure the weight of each plane. We will take 10 samples of each weight. Note: The elevator flaps will remain at 0° during weight testing.
ANALYSIS
Data Predictions
Points of Further Study
During testing, flap angle increments will need to be drastic enough to see difference in distance/velocity plots. Until testing begins, we cannot be sure what increments will be needed to see said results. In addition, the method of changing the cross-sectional area (which affects drag) may need to be altered. For example, a consistent angle for the flaps may be chosen, however, the size of the flap may be changed physically with various cuts.
We still need to find consistent way of “launching” paper airplanes with precise velocity. We plan to make an air track launcher to accelerate the planes before flying through the air. However, this may not work smoothly because the accuracy of this method may be low.
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We will need to know the initial velocity at which the plane is launched. To find this out we will be using a video shot with a high frame rate (60fps) to take the average velocity across a distance. Depending on results, higher frame rates may be needed to provide a more accurate reading of velocity.
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Plane design will be kept constant throughout tests, but further testing will be needed to discover which design will work best for this experiment. Once a consistent way of “launching” the planes is found, we can run preliminary tests to ensure that the plane design we choose to use will give us consistent and accurate results.
Click Graphs to Learn More!
Null Hypothesis: The velocity of plane is not affected by elevator flap angle.
Alternative Hypothesis: The velocity of plane is affected by elevator flap angle.
Null Hypothesis: The distance traveled is not affected by the weight of the paper used.
Alternative Hypothesis: The distance traveled is affected by the weight of the paper used.
Null Hypothesis: The velocity of the plane is not affected by paper weight.
Alternative Hypothesis: The velocity of the plane is affected by the paper weight.
- Distance vs. Rear Elevator Flap Angle
- Velocity vs. Rear Elevator Flap Angle
- Distance vs. Paper Weight
- Velocity vs. Paper Weight
- Drag vs. Velocity
We will collect data by having the paper airplane be thrown with consistency. This will be done by creating a launching system out of a physics air track and air cart with a mount on top to hold the plane. We will shoot it off a table top. We will alter the drag of the plane by changing the rear elevator flaps in 30° intervals from 0° to 90° (Figure 1).
Figure 1:
The Drag is affected by the rear elevator flaps, which can be seen above
These will be measured with a protractor. We will take 10 samples of each angle. On each
