5th and 6th Grade Tech Club
Exploring the physics of flight
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Paper Airplane Challenge
Advanced Paper Airplanes: Your mission is to design, fold, and test a paper airplane that achieves the greatest possible sustained flight distance within our testing space (the gym or outside). The goal is to maximize distance, stability, and air time! You will have access to a variety of materials and you must choose and use them strategically to create a plane that flies farther than any other. Your design should show careful thought about how material choice and added weights (paperclips) or propulsion (rubber band) affect flight performance.
Material
Standard 8.5" x 11" Printer Paper
Excellent for speed and tight folds.
Card Stock
Heavier and stiffer—best for stability or specific shapes.
Large Format Paper (11" x 17")
Provides the largest wingspan for glide.
Tape
Use for small repairs or reinforcing wings/folds.
Paperclips
Essential for adjusting the center of gravity (nose weight).
Rubber Bands (for launch)
Provides an option for an assisted, powerful launch.
Max 1 rubber band
Boomerang Roomarang Challenge
Ready to dive into another awesome flight challenge? A boomerang is a unique flying tool that's specially engineered to return to its owner after being thrown. Historically, boomerangs were used for hunting, but today they are mostly used for competitive sports and entertainment. Boomerangs come in all shapes and sizes, and can be crafted from materials like wood, plastic, and, luckily for us, paper! Since paper is cheap and readily available for our projects, this page will focus on the various ways we can design and build functional boomerangs using cardstock and other paper materials.
Directions:
Use the template provided in the classroom.
Use a GLUESTICK to glue a second piece of CARDSTOCK to the template.
Cut the template out. Use even precise cuts.
Gently fold the edges along the dotted lines.
This is meant to be thrown indoors. See if you can figure out the best way to throw it to make the boomerang return to you.
The Science of the Boomerang:
The Air Ramp (Lift): The blades of your boomerang aren't flat—they are gently curved or folded. This curve is called an Airfoil (like a mini-airplane wing). It acts like a ramp for the air. When the boomerang flies, this ramp pushes the air down, and the air pushes the boomerang up. This upward push is called Lift.
The Fast Blade (Uneven Lift) When you throw the boomerang, it's spinning like a propeller. Imagine the boomerang is spinning like a clock. The blade moving forward (in the direction of the throw) is moving much faster through the air than the blade moving backward. Because the fast blade is hitting the air harder, it creates more Lift—it gets a much bigger upward push.
The Spin and Tilt Trick (Precession): Normally, if you push a spinning object on one side, it just tips over. But because the boomerang is spinning so fast, that extra "push" from the fast blade doesn't just tip it. Instead, the spin turns that upward push into a sideways turning force. It's like steering a fast-spinning toy top—a tiny push makes the whole thing lean sideways and circle back to you. This is the trick that makes the boomerang curve and return!
Tips for Success: Success in the Roomarang Challenge comes down to making sure your boomerang is perfectly even and its air ramps are just right.
The Balance Rule: Everything Must Be Even: Your boomerang must be perfectly balanced like a seesaw. If one blade is heavier, longer, or cut bigger than the others, the flight will be wobbly and it won't return.
Action Tip: After gluing and cutting, check the balance point. If it feels heavy on one side, carefully trim a tiny bit off the heavy blade.
The Clean Cut Rule: No Fuzzy Edges!
The air needs to flow smoothly over your Air Ramps. If your cuts are fuzzy or ripped, the air gets caught, causing drag (a slowing force).
Action Tip: Use sharp scissors and cut slowly along the lines. A smooth, clean edge lets the air ramps work their best magic.
The Gentle Bend Rule: Make the Air Ramps. The instruction to "gently fold the edges" is the most important step! This is where you set the angle of your Air Ramps.
Action Tip: Only bend the edges very slightly (like a whisper). Too much fold or bend will create too much drag and slow the boomerang down before it can complete the circle.
Helicopter Challenge
Directions: Use the template to fold 3 different rotors and test them to see what version is the most efficient. After deciding what version works
🚁 The Science of the Slow Fall
🚁 The Science of the Slow Fall
Your paper helicopter is a gravity-powered glider! It doesn't use an engine to fly up; it uses air to fall slowly and smoothly. The awesome spinning is caused by a tug-of-war between three main invisible forces: Earth's Pull, Air Push-Back, and The Spinning Trick.
1. Earth's Pull (Gravity)
1. Earth's Pull (Gravity)
What it is: This is the invisible force that pulls everything down toward the ground.
In our helicopter: The weight of your paper and the paperclip is the force of gravity. It's the "engine" that starts the helicopter moving downward. The more paperclips you add, the stronger the pull!
2. Air Push-Back (Drag)
2. Air Push-Back (Drag)
What it is: When your helicopter falls, it has to push the air out of its way. The air pushes back against the helicopter. This push-back is called Air Resistance or Drag, and it acts like a brake to slow the fall.
In our helicopter: The big, flat blades (the rotor) have a lot of surface area. This means they hit more air, creating a lot of Air Push-Back, which is why the helicopter falls much slower than a crumpled ball of the same paper.
3. The Spinning Trick (Lift and Rotation)
3. The Spinning Trick (Lift and Rotation)
What it is: This is the clever part of the design! Your helicopter blades are not flat; you bend them to make a slight Air Ramp.
How it works: As the helicopter falls, the air hits the Air Ramp on each blade. This pushes the blades sideways, causing the entire helicopter to spin like a pinwheel.
The Upward Push (Lift): The fast spin creates an air pocket that actually pushes up slightly on the blades. This tiny upward push is called Lift, and it helps fight Earth's Pull, making the helicopter fall even slower!
🔬 Your Mission: Becoming a Flight Scientist! (Experimental Variables)
🔬 Your Mission: Becoming a Flight Scientist! (Experimental Variables)
The paper helicopter is a classic tool for hands-on STEM experiments. In science, a variable is simply something you can change to see how it affects the result. By testing different variables, you can figure out the best design for the longest, coolest flight!
Common variables to experiment with include:
Blade Size and Shape:
Longer, wider blades generally catch more air, which creates more lift and a slower descent.
Shorter blades have less Air Push-Back, so they often fall faster.
Weight (Paperclips) and Balance:
Adding paper clips to the tail increases the overall weight and lowers the helicopter's balance point.
This generally makes the helicopter more stable but causes it to descend faster (stronger pull from gravity).
Different Paper Types:
The weight and stiffness of the paper (like thin printer paper versus stiff cardstock) will affect performance. Stiff paper holds its Air Ramp angle better, while light paper falls slower.
Blade Angle/Spin Direction:
The way you fold the blades sets the angle of the Air Ramp.
If you fold the blades in the opposite direction, it will cause the helicopter to spin in the reverse direction!
Loop Planes
🚀 The Loop Plane Challenge: Defying Gravity with Hoops
Your Mission: Design and build a glider or airplane that uses at least one hoop (made from any material) as a key part of its flight. The goal is simple: create the plane that can fly the farthest horizontal distance!
🔬 The Science of the Air Hoops
Why use a loop instead of a flat wing? It’s all about guiding the air smoothly! When you throw the plane, the hoop acts like a closed Air Tunnel. The air rushes right through, which helps the plane get Lift (the upward push) and makes it incredibly stable and level. The smooth, circular shape also helps reduce Drag (the air’s push-back or "brake"), letting your plane slice through the air for maximum distance.
🛠️ What Can You Change?
The best part of this challenge is experimenting! Here are the main things (variables) you can change to make your plane fly farther:
Hoop Size: Making the loops bigger or smaller. Bigger loops catch more air, which slows the plane down but often makes it more stable.
Number of Hoops: Use one, two, or even three loops. More hoops can add stability, but they also add weight, so you need to find the perfect mix!
Hoop Material: Use thin paper versus stiff card-stock. Stiffer hoops hold their perfect circle shape better, which is key for a smooth flight.
Body Length: Making the body strip longer or shorter. A longer body usually helps the plane fly straight, like the tail on an arrow.
Weight/Balance: Just like your paper airplanes, you need to make sure the hoops are perfectly balanced with the front of the plane for the best flight.
Resources
https://www.instructables.com/Hoop-GliderAirplane-STEAM-Activity/
https://www.alcosan.org/educational-activities/parent-resources/hoop-glider-challenge
https://www.nasa.gov/stem-content/the-ring-wing-glider/
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