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Write a Hypothesis

6/13/2014

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You will be making a hypothesis in order to predict how the design modification you make to your glider (increasing lift, increasing lift + drag, decreasing lift, or increasing drag + weight) will affect your dependent variable (distance the glider travels, or distance the glider lands from a target).  As we have learned from a year of spectacular science, we need background research (evidence) in order to make a hypothesis (tentative claim).

You may use Shonscience posts, videos, and articles (including those from Mr. Cirone's class) to conduct your background research.  Below are links to articles that will support your research.  The key is find supporting evidence that addresses the question, 
"How will your independent variable affect your dependent variable?"

If your independent variable involves changing LIFT:
Wings provide lift for gliding Squirrels
Scholastic: What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
Camber is the Key (see "Camber line: at the heart of it all")
Inclination Effects on Lift
Forces on a Glider
Shonscience: What Makes Something Fly?
Shonscience: How do you Control a Plane?

If your independent variable involves changing WEIGHT:
Factors Affecting the Performance of an Airplane (see the "Landing performance charts" section)
Wings provide lift for gliding Squirrels
The Effect of Weight on Glide Ratio
Forces on a Glider
Shonscience: What Makes Something Fly?
Shonscience: How do you Control a Plane?
What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
How Far Will It Fly?
Scholastic: What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?

If your independent variable involves changing DRAG:
What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
Shonscience: What Makes Something Fly?
Shonscience: How do you Control a Plane?
Test Paper Planes with Different Drag
Reducing Landing Distance
Scholastic: What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
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Background Research: Aviation

6/10/2014

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Directions: Find your topic below and copy the guiding questions.  Use the links to find the answers!
Biomimicry
Explore how animal flight has inspired and influenced the design of aircraft!
Guiding Questions:
  1. Who first studied birds in order to explore the possibility of human flight?
  2. What are some of the most popular animals and insects (studied by scientists) that have influenced aircraft design?
  3. How can humans look to animals and insects to design more efficient and environmentally conscious aircraft?
Links:
Airbus: Biomimicry
The Aircraft of the Future
Aircraft Engineers Turn to Biomimicry for Greener Designs
Scoop It: Biomimicry - Nature Inspired Innovation
Aircraft Flight will be Revolutionized by Biomimicry
Birds = Jets

Types of Aircraft
Explore the different types of aircraft, and the past, present, and future of aircraft design!
Guiding Questions:
  1. What are all of the different categories/types of aircraft?
  2. How does the design of an aircraft affect its function (or, how does the function of an aircraft affect its design?)
  3. What are some of the most significant advancements in the history of aircraft design?
  4. How has aircraft design changed over time?
  5. What is your favorite aircraft?  Why?
  6. What is in the future of aircraft?
Links:
Evolution of Aircraft
History of the Airplane
Aircraft Types
Delta: Know the Planes you Love
American Airlines: Our Planes
What are the Different Types of Aircraft?
JetBlue: Our Planes
Aeronautical History: Important Advances in Aircraft Design
Airplane Timeline
Pinterest: All Types of Planes

Airline Food
Explore the past, present, and future of airline cuisine!
Guiding Questions:
  1. What kinds of foods are generally served on planes?
  2. How is the food prepared? On board or beforehand?
  3. Is there any nutritional value to airline food?
  4. How do chefs/cooks prepare airline food differently from food served on land?
  5. Do airlines generally serve the cuisine of the culture/country from which they originate?
  6. What are some sample menus or food items provided by top commercial airlines?
  7. How does the food in first class differ from the food in regular class?
Links:
Wikipedia: Airline Meal
The Lowdown on In-Flight Meals
17 Milestones in the History of Airline Flight Meals
Airline Food Through the Ages
Airplane Food, From Sandwiches to Smoked Salmon
Airline Menus from the Past
The Big Apple: Airplane Food
How Airline Meals Have Evolved Through the Years
Food: History of Airline Meals
Singapore Airlines: Special Food
United Airlines: Special Meals
China Southern Airlines: Special Meals Services
Turkish Airlines: Special Meal Service
Why Airplane Food is so Bad
Slate: The Fare Up There - Why I Love Airline Food

Commercial Airlines
Explore the past, present, and future of the commercial airline industry!
Guiding Questions:
  1. When was flying commercially first introduced to the public? How much was it compared to today’s prices? Was it expensive?
  2. What were some of the first commercial airlines created and to where did they fly?
  3. How many commercial airlines are there in the world?
  4. What are some of the most popular destinations to which they fly?
  5. How has the commercial airline industry changed over time?
  6. What type of plane do commercial planes most often utilize?
  7. What is in the future of commercial airlines?
Links:
Wikipedia: Airlines
Forbes: America's Best Airlines
Timeline of Commercial Aviation
The History of Airline Industry
How the Airline Industry has Evolved
The First Commercial Flight
Deadliest Commercial Airline Crashes in History
The 20 Best Airlines in the World
The 10 Most Commonly Sold Commercial Jets to Airlines
Huffington Post: 23 Best Airline Commercials
Top Commercial Airline Trends You Need to Know
Major Airlines in North America
TSA: Commercial Airlines
Airplane Timeline
USA Today: America's Best and Worst Airlines
Wall Street Journal: The Best (and Worst) Airlines

High Flying Fashion
Explore the past, present, and future of flight attendant uniforms!
Guiding Questions:
  1. How have flight attendant uniforms changed over time?
  2. Why have the flight attendant uniforms changed?
  3. What is your favorite flight attendant uniform?  Why?
  4. What is in the future of high flying fashion?
Links:
Mile-High Fashion: Flight Attendant Uniforms
A History of Flight Attendant Uniforms Through the Years
Vintage American Airlines Stewardess Uniforms
The Best Flight Attendant Uniforms in American History
Pinterest: Airline Retro Uniforms

War Planes
Explore the past, present, and future of war planes!
Guiding Questions:
  1. What was the first war to use fighter planes and how were they used?
  2. What was the first country to build a fighter plane?
  3. How have war planes changed over time?
  4. How has the design of war planes impacted how wars have been fought?
  5. Which industry came first: the war plane or the commercial plane?  How did they impact each other?
  6. How does the design of a war plane impact its function in times of war?
Links:
Aircraft History: The Evolution of Fighter Jets
The Birth of the Fighter Plane
American Aviators of WWI: A History of Fighter Aircraft
Top 10 Fighters of All Time
Top 10 Fighter Aircraft
Aircraft in the Military Timeline
A Story of World War I Aviation
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Background Research: Glider Design

6/9/2014

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You will be making a hypothesis in order to predict how the design modification you make to your glider (increasing lift, increasing lift + drag, decreasing lift, or increasing drag + weight) will affect your dependent variable (distance the glider travels, or distance the glider lands from a target).  As we have learned from a year of spectacular science, we need background research (evidence) in order to make a hypothesis (tentative claim).

You may use Shonscience posts, videos, and articles (including those from Mr. Cirone's class) to conduct your background research.  Below are links to articles that will support your research.  The key is find supporting evidence that addresses the question, 
"How will your independent variable affect your dependent variable?"

If your independent variable involves changing LIFT:
Wings provide lift for gliding Squirrels
Shonscience: What Makes Something Fly?
Shonscience: How do you Control a Plane?
Camber is the Key (see "Camber line: at the heart of it all")
What is an Airfoil?
Factors Affecting Lift
Inclination Effects on Lift
The Work of Wings
The Airfoil Misconception
Forces on a Glider
What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
Scholastic: What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
Paper Airplane Designs For Distance

If your independent variable involves changing WEIGHT:
Factors Affecting the Performance of an Airplane (see the "Landing performance charts" section)
Wings provide lift for gliding Squirrels
The Effect of Weight on Glide Ratio
GlidesForces on a Glider
Shonscience: What Makes Something Fly?
Shonscience: How do you Control a Plane?
What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
How Far Will It Fly?
Scholastic: What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?

If your independent variable involves changing DRAG:
Shonscience: What Makes Something Fly?
Shonscience: How do you Control a Plane?
Test Paper Planes with Different Drag
Reducing Landing Distance
Forces on a Glider
What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
Scholastic: What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly?
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How do you control a plane?

6/5/2014

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I: Roll, Pitch, and Yaw
Roll, pitch, and yaw are the three types of motion on a plane.  A change in any one of the three types of motion affects the other two.
  • Roll is the rotation of the wings around the body  of the plane.
  • Pitch is the rotation of the nose and tail of the plane in a up/down direction.
  • Yaw is the rotation of the wings in a left/right direction on the same plane.
Check out the interactive image of the ailerons, elevator, and rudder of a plane here: 
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/airplanes4.htm
III: Camber
The camber of an airfoil is the characteristic curve of its upper or lower surface (see below). The camber determines the airfoil's thickness. But, more importantly, the camber determines the amount of lift that a wing produces as air flows around it.  A high-speed, low-lift airfoil has very little camber.  A low-speed, high-lift airfoil, like that on the Cessna 150, has a very pronounced (curved) camber.

You may also encounter the terms upper camber and lower camber. Upper camber refers to the curve of the upper surface of the airfoil, while lower camber refers to the curve of the lower surface of the airfoil. In the great majority of airfoils, upper and lower cambers differ from one another.
Picture
Roll is the rotation around the front-to-back axis.
Picture
Pitch is the rotation around the side-to-side axis.
Picture
Yaw is the rotation of the wings around the vertical axis.
II: Controlling Roll, Pitch, and Yaw
The ailerons, elevator, and rudder control the movement of a plane.  These are called the "control surfaces" because they are surfaces that control the movement of a plane!
  • The Ailerons Control Roll: On the outer rear edge of each wing, the two ailerons move in opposite directions, up and down, decreasing lift on one wing while increasing it on the other. This causes the airplane to roll to the left or right. To turn the airplane, the pilot uses the ailerons to tilt the wings in the desired direction.
  • The Elevator Controls Pitch: On the horizontal tail surface, the elevator tilts up or down, decreasing or increasing lift on the tail. This tilts the nose of the airplane up and down.
  • The Rudder Controls Yaw: On the vertical tail fin, the rudder swivels from side to side, pushing the tail in a left or right direction. A pilot usually uses the rudder along with the ailerons to turn the airplane.
Picture
Assignment
Read the blog post above, watch the videos, and explore the interactive websites (links).  Then answer the questions below.  Make sure to write the question and answer in complete sentences to receive full credit.  There is an extra credit opportunity below!
Due Monday, June 9, 2014

Part I & II
1.  What type of plane motion (roll, pitch, or yaw) occurs when a plane takes off and lands?
2.  What type of plane motion (roll, pitch, or yaw) occurs when a plane makes a left or right turn in the air?
3.  Where are the ailerons of a plane located?
4.  What is the function of the ailerons?
5.  Where is the elevator of the plane located?
6.  What is the function of the elevator (on a plane)?
7.  Where are the rudders of a plane located?
8.  What is the function of the rudders?

Part III
1.  What is camber?
2.  What is the difference between upper camber and lower camber?
3.  A high-speed, low-lift airfoil has very __________________ camber. 
4.  A low-speed, high-lift airfoil, like that on the Cessna 150, has a very ________________ camber.
5.  Sketch the upper and lower camber line of an airfoil.

Part IV: Explore the website on wing design and answer the questions that follow: 
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/lift-drag.html 
1.  What two forces combine to create lift?
2.  An airfoil also creates lift by __________________ or redirecting airflow.
3.  The amount of drag depends on an object's _________________ and _____________.
4.  What will have more drag: a) monster truck; b) sports car
5.  A __________________ surface causes more drag than a smooth, polished one.
6.  A fighter jet has low lift and low drag.  What about its wing shape gives it these properties?
7.  How does the airfoil of the crop duster compare to the wing of the fighter jet?

Extra Credit: 
Click on the link below to find the best lift to drag ratio (L/D) for different planes by adjusting their angle of attack and air speed.  Then answer the questions below.
http://howthingsfly.si.edu/activities/how-wings-work
1.  Why do you think a higher lift to drag ratio (L/D) is a major goal in wing design?
2.  In order to achieve the best lift to drag ratio (L/D) for the Bleriot airfoil, what is the angle of attack and airspeed needed?
3.  In order to achieve the best lift to drag ratio (L/D) for the DC-3 airfoil, what is the angle of attack and airspeed needed?
4.  In order to achieve the best lift to drag ratio (L/D) for the 757 airfoil, what is the angle of attack and airspeed needed?
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What makes something fly?

6/2/2014

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The Four Forces of Flight

There are four forces that act upon an object to make it fly:
  • Lift = upward pull
  • Weight = downward force of gravity
  • Drag = force opposite to the direction of motion (friction)
  • Thrust = force that moves an object forward
Picture
When the forces of flight are balanced, an object can fly in a level direction.  An object can go up (take-off!) if the forces of lift and thrust are more than weight and drag .  An object can go down (land!) if the forces of weight and drag are greater than lift and thrust.
Picture
Take Off = Lift + Thrust > Weight + Drag
Picture
Landing = Lift + Thrust < Weight + Drag
How do objects DEFY gravity?
In other words, how can we create the lift needed to overcome weight (the force of gravity)?  
Lift can overcome weight in two ways:

1) By creating differences in air pressure.
2) By pushing air downward.

But what does this even mean?!?!?!  There there.  I'll explain.
1) Create lift by creating differences in air pressure

  • The shape of a wing is called airfoil.  The airfoil is what enables a plane to create lift.
  • The curved shape of a wing (airfoil) makes air above the wing move faster than the air below the wing. 
  • Fast moving air has lower pressure than slow moving air, so the higher pressure air pushes the plane upward toward the low pressure area, generating lift.  This is known as Bernoulli's Principle.

Bernoulli's Principle: As the speed of a moving gas or liquid increases, the pressure within the gas or liquid decreases
Picture
Picture
Daniel Bernoulli was the Swiss mathematician who first described the phenomenon that as the movement of a fluid increases, the pressure decreases.
Picture
Picture
2) Create lift by pushing air downward

  • A wing is shaped to force air downward, which causes an equal and opposite reaction from the air, forcing the wing upward.  This is an example of Newton's 3rd Law of Motion.
  • When a bird flaps its wings, it is pushing air downward to pull itself upward.

Newton's 3rd Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Picture
Isaac Newton was one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians who ever lived. He defined the "Laws of Motion" that describe the relationship between a body and the forces acting upon it.
So now we have Lift.  Where do we get Thrust?
That's a much easier explanation.  We get thrust from engines (like a car), propellers, and rockets!
Still confused?  Watch the Bill Nye + BrainPop videos on flight (videos + links below)!
BrainPop: Flight
Username - ms881
Password - ms88rocks
Assignment
Answer the questions below in complete sentences, using the blog post, videos, and class notes to help you.  WRITE the question and answer.
Due: Friday, June 6, 2014
1.  What are the four forces of flight?
2.  How does a plane balance the forces of flight in order to land safely? (hint: some forces must overcome others)
3.  What is an airfoil?
4.  Sketch an airfoil.
5.  What is Bernoulli's principle? 
6.  How does Bernoulli's principle relate to flight?
7.  What is another example of Bernoulli's principle in the real world?  (hint: there is a poster in Ms. Shon's classroom with examples)
8.  What is Newton's 3rd Law?
9.  How does Newton's 3rd Law of motion relate to flight?
10. What is another example of Newton's 3rd Law of motion in the real world?  
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