Fast-Flying Paper Airplanes
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Materials:
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Instructions for Glider:
1. Fold paper in half making sure that the corners line up.
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2. Open paper back up. Fold the two bottom corners to the middle crease.
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3. Make sure both corners line up at the same spot on the middle crease. Use the side edge of pencil to smooth out the folds.
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4. Fold the triangle over exactly on the bottom edge.
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5. Fold left bottom corner to the middle crease to a spot about one inch under the tip of the triangle. Repeat with the other corner making sure both corners meet at the same spot on the middle crease.
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6. Fold down the top tip of the triangle.
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7. Flip the paper over.
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8. Fold it in half at the middle crease.
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9. Make sure all the edges line up. Smooth out the creases with the side edge of a pencil.
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10. To create the wings, fold the slanted edge down so that it lines up with the bottom edge.
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11. Repeat on the other side to create the second wing.
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12. Lift the wings and curl slightly the tail corners on both back ends. You are ready to fly your glider!
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Instructions for Dart Plane:
1. Fold paper in half making sure that the corners line up.
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2. Open the paper back up. Fold the top two corners to the middle crease.
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3. Make sure both corners line up at the same spot on the middle crease. Use a pencil to smooth out the folds.
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4. Flip the paper over.
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5. Fold it in half at the middle crease.
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6. Make sure all the edges line up.
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7. To create the wings, fold the slanted edge down so that it lines up with the bottom edge.
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8. Fold a second time so that the new slanted edge lines up with the bottom edge.
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9. Smooth out the creases with the side edge of a pencil.
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10. Repeat the steps on the other side folding the slanted edge down to line up with the bottom edge.
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11. Fold it down a second time so that the new slanted edge lines up with the bottom edge.
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12. Smooth out all the creases with the side edge of a pencil.
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13. Lift the wings and you are ready to fly your dart plane.
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STEM:
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There are 4 forces that act on and affect the path of a paper airplane: Lift (which propels the plane upward), Thrust (which propels the plane forward), Drag (which propels the plane backward), and Gravity (which propels the plane downward). These forces, along with the design of the airplanes themselves, can affect the path of flight as well as the total distance flown. You can test each design above in an open area to determine which design flies farther, and analyze which are the forces acting upon it. |
