What Makes Airplanes Fly?
Students begin to explore the idea of a force. To further their understanding of drag, gravity and weight, they conduct activities that model the behavior of parachutes and helicopters. An associated literacy activity engages the class to recreate the Wright brothers' first flight in the style of the "You Are There" television series.
What makes airplanes fly?Copyright Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/wbaiv/6244691362/
Engineers of all disciplines use their knowledge of forces to design machines, structures and appliances. Aeronautical engineers build on their understanding of lift, weight, thrust and drag to design jets, helicopters, wind turbines, wind surfers and spacecraft — vehicles that move in air or space. Other engineers apply the same concepts to objects that travel on land and in water. Engineers design the shape of vehicles to be more aerodynamic to reduce drag force and thus reduce fuel consumption.
The SR-71 Blackbird was a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft developed in the 1960s.Copyright http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/SR-71/HTML/EC94-42883-4.html
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Understand the concept of forces.
- Identify what forces would make an airplane fly higher or land, and what would make an airplane speed up or slow down while moving through the air
- Recognize that engineers of all disciplines use their knowledge of forces to design machines, structures and appliances