What it shows
The position of weight changes how a plane flies. A little weight in the front makes it steady, but too much makes it dive.
The science
A plane balances around its centre of gravity. If the nose is too light, the plane stalls and tumbles. A small weight at the front moves the balance point forward and makes the glide steady. Too much weight pulls it down fast. So the best is a small amount.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- Five sheets of the same paper
- Ten small paper clips
- A measuring tape
- Chalk
- Paper and pencil
Safety
For this project: Throw only in an open place with nobody in front. An adult must watch.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
Step by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Fold five identical paper planes of the same design.
Leave the first plane with no clip.
Put one clip on the nose of the second plane, two on the third, three on the fourth and four on the fifth.
Mark a start line with chalk.
Launch each plane three times with the same force.
Measure and write each distance.
Find the average for each plane.
Draw a graph of clips against distance and find the best number.
What you should see
One or two clips usually give the longest flight, and four clips make the plane dive early.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
01What does the clip change?
The balance point of the plane.
02What happens with too much weight?
The plane dives quickly.
03Why test several times?
To get a reliable average.
04What is one thing you kept the same?
The paper design and throw.
Take it further
Move the clip from the nose to the middle and the tail and compare.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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