New link to tumblewing build and fly videos by sciencetoymaker.org!
This is the easiest project as it does not require students to learn to fly tumblewings.
Construct tumblewings from different weight paper (tissue paper, phone book paper, copier paper). How does the weight of the paper affect how fast the tumblewing falls? Here the mass per unit area of the tumblewing is varied. An airplane's mass divided by its wing area is called the wing loading. Calculate the wing loading for each tumblewing by measuring its mass and the wing area for each tumblewing.
Does varying the size of the tumblewing affect how fast the tumblewing falls? Make a tumblewing twice the size but from the same weight paper. Drop the tumblewings at the same time and note which one falls faster. Calculate the wing loading for each tumblewing by measuring its mass and the wing area for each tumblewing.
Copyright Phil Rossoni 2010