Flying Coffee Cups

Instructions:

Materials:

Two disposable cups
- Bonus: gather a variety of different cup sizes to experiment with.
At least four rubber bands
Tape

Procedure:

Tape the bottom ends of the cups together by wrapping tape around the bottoms of the cups.
String four rubber bands together by passing rubber band A through rubber band B. Bring the two ends of rubber band A together and pass one end under the other end. Pull to tighten and repeat two more times.
Place one end of the rubber band string on the center of the taped cups and put your thumb on top to keep the rubber band in place.
Stretch the rubber band string with your other hand so the rubber bands are approximately 2 feet long.
Wrap the rubber band around the taped portion of the two cups until there is approximately 3 inches of rubber band left unwrapped.

Launch:

Place the loose end of the rubber band string on the edge of your thumb.
Ensure the cups are above the rubber band string, not below.
Pull the cups back over your forearm and point your thumb towards an empty space.
Release the cups!

DIY Flying Coffee Cups - NiceSplash

Make Coffee Cups Fly

Harness the Magnus Effect and make cylindrical and spherical objects fly.

5E Model of Instruction

Below is an example of a lesson using 5E for upper elementary and middle school students.

Engage

Ask students what a object needs to fly. Some answers may include wings, an engine, a cockpit, and so on. Show the students the taped cups and ask "Can this fly?"

Provide a facilitator-led demonstration of the flying cups.

Explore

Provide adequate materials for students to work independently or in small groups. Students document each flight. Students experiment with different configurations, such as holding the cups sideways or upside down prior to launch. Students experiment with different cup materials and sizes.

Older (5-8 grade) students can create their own challenges. Younger students (2-4) may need a facilitator to provide the challenges. Challenges include:

Furthest flying cups
Longest time aloft
Highest flying cups

Explain

Permit students to share what they discovered with the rest of the class.

Elaborate

Show how the the underlying principle, the Magnus Effect, is used in sports.

Soccer Trick Shots - Dude Perfect
The Physics of Baseball Pitches - SpacePak
Bowl as Many Strikes in 90 Seconds - PBABowling

Evaluate

Students identify the independent variables and dependent variables (depends on an independent variable) from their Explore stage above. For example:

Distance the cups flew is the dependent variable.
Number of wraps around with the rubber band is the independent variable.

Magnus Effect

Watch the video below to see what happens when a spinning basketball is dropped from a high location.

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