Teacher Resources – Foldable Flight Welcome to the Maker Project Foldable Flight workshop. In this workshop, students will investigate the

science of flight through. This document provides information to prepare you and your students for the

workshop. Included in this document are activities we recommend you run before and after the workshop to

help maximise your students’ learning from our workshop.

Background – Innovation

Contrary to popular belief, Thomas Edison didn't "invent" the light bulb. He is known for this life changing

invention because he improved upon a 50-year-old idea and made it accessible for everyone to use. This

process of building on ideas to create something new is called innovation.

We all have the tools we need to be innovative; problem solving, creativity, maths, science and technology,

but it’s how we use these tools that can make the difference between having an idea and doing something

with it.

The process of need, think, make, try, refine is at the heart of any design or engineering feat. These stages

don’t follow a set pattern or order, but arise naturally from the exploration of new ideas. It can be useful to

think about each of these stages as you work on your own designs.

Does your idea address your need?

Can you think of a new or better approach to solve your problem?

Can you make a prototype?

Try out your prototype – does it do what it’s supposed to?

How can you refine your design to make it better?

Before your visit Pre-visit Activities

The innovation process is simply about taking an idea and making something new. So an innovator is

someone who wants to create change by coming up with new ways of doing things. Sometimes, making this

change in society comes from changing your perspective.

Activity 1

Obtain two random objects (anything from a plastic spoon, a single serve pack of vegemite to a test tube).

For each object ask the class to brainstorm other ways the object could be used.

1. Imagine the object at any scale, made of any material, or in any context. It might be helpful to ask

your students what they could use the object for if they were abandoned on a desert island – this

can get the creative juices flowing.

2. How would you improve the original object to better address the new purpose? Does this new

object perform the function better than existing products?

Activity 2

This activity is designed to prompt your students towards thinking about some of the design elements that

will affect the paper plane flight. Out of one A4 sheet of paper, the students need to design a paper

aeroplane. They must be able to control the lift and the direction the plane will fly in, and are aiming for

maximum distance.

Things to keep in mind

What can you change or adjust in your design to alter the flight path of the plane? Can you make your plane

do a loop-the-loop? Can you steer the plane so it flies clockwise or counter-clockwise? Does your plane

nose-dive, or climb quickly? Adjustments to the design can only be made in between flights.

Information for teachers to facilitate pre-visit activity

In order to control lift and dive of the plane, flaps may be used on the back of the wing. This can be

achieved by cutting about 1 cm into the back of the each wing; the flap should cover about half the width of

the wing. The flap can then be bent up (to give more lift) or down (to give less lift) to help control the plane. If

the wings are bent differently to one another then the wings have uneven lift causing the plane to corkscrew

as it flies.

Cutting flaps on the back of the plane

Another important factor which helps control the flight is understanding where the centre of mass of the

plane is, and where the centre of its air pressure is. The centre of air pressure is the middle point of its

silhouette, and the relationship between this and the plane’s centre of mass controls how the plane glides.

The tutorial at the end of this document provides a quick guide on identifying both centres.

During your visit What to expect at the workshop

In this workshop students will investigate different types of paper planes and how launch methods and

design factors can influence how they fly. Students will utilise their critical thinking and problem solving

skills as they create a unique and reliable solution to problems posed to them throughout the workshop. The

students will then be challenged with refining their design to meet a variety of flight scenarios.

All tools and resources will be supplied; a teacher will need to be present at the workshop to act as a

supervisor.

Running time: 120 minutes

Workshop Foldable Flight

Intro Intro to flight (lift and weight distribution)

Outline of challenges, tools and safety

Main Activities Students begin by designing a simple paper plane. As the workshop

progresses, they will have the opportunities to investigate the uses

of dart designs vs. gliders.

Elastic and air-powered launch methods will also be investigated

and tested throughout the workshop.

At all points, students are recording data to aid in the refinement of

their plane operation. Distances travelled, starting angle and

weight distribution must all be taken into account.

Extension activities As extensions, students may be able to launch their planes at a

higher power, to discuss how velocity and different atmospheres

have different implications for planes and rockets.

Wrap-up Discussion regarding types of planes and their ideal uses, data

collection and launch variables.

Resources Absolute bare minimum materials to enforce creative and

calculated design – materials may include:

Limited amount of sticky tape/hot glue (etc)

Paper

After your visit

Follow up activity

During the workshop, students used a launching mechanism for a paper plane. As a brainstorming

exercise, can your students think of real world examples where such a mechanism may be required? For

example, the navy use electro-magnetic slingshots to accelerate planes when taking off from an aircraft

carrier.

Run your own workshop

To encourage further exploration into the properties of flight, ask your students to design their ideal glider.

This should be a plane that flies in the straightest line, for the longest distance. Spend a lesson on the oval

to find the most successful design!

Further investigation into innovation

Without innovative thinking many new inventions that have made our lives easier, or just more enjoyable,

wouldn’t have happened. To innovate, you need tools. Scientific knowledge is just one of those tools (maths,

drawing, design, language, computer science are just a few of the other tools you may need or already

have). Science and innovation have a close relationship—they go hand in hand. Many scientific and

technological advancements and developments are due to innovative thinking; using something that

already exists but applying it to something new—being creative, thinking laterally.

Case Study: Did you know WiFi is an Australian innovation?

WiFi was originally developed by Dr John O’Sullivan while he was trying to solve a radio astronomy problem—

finding exploding black holes. After some time, other researchers from CSIRO modified his idea; using

mathematics and physics to solve another problem—wireless communication. This didn’t happen overnight,

but the various applications of WiFi have made this innovation one of the most crucial technologies in our

networked society. Check out the full story at http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2708730.htm

Old knowledge + lateral thinking + problem solving = a new solution = innovation

Paper Plane Tutorial

The centre of mass of the plane is the point where the plane can balance on one finger (x in the

diagram)

To find the centre of air pressure, first trace the top surface of the

plane onto a piece of paper

Next, cut out the silhouette of the paper plane

Finally, find the centre of mass of the silhouette. This will be the

centre of air pressure.

The goal is to have the centre of mass (X) in front of the centre of air

pressure (O) when they both run down the centre line of the plane.

Curriculum links Science Inquiry Skills Strand

This workshop’s activities relates to Science Inquiry Skills across all years by encouraging:

Questioning and predicting

Planning and conducting

Processing and analysing data and information

Evaluating

Communicating

Science as a Human Endeavour Strand

If this activity is extended to research and discuss the applications of planes, variables that are involved and

how different planes are suitable for different needs, it links to the Science as a Human Endeavour Strand.

Science Understanding Strand

As well as investigating physical force gravity, if this activity is extended to research and discuss motion and

transfer of energy it links across various subjects in the Science Understanding Strand.

Year 7 Physical Science

Change to an object’s motion is caused by unbalanced forces, including Earth’s gravitational attraction,

acting on the object (ACSSU117)

Year 8 Physical Science

Energy appears in different forms including movement (kinetic energy), heat and potential energy and

causes changes within systems (ACSSU155)

Year 10 Physical Science

Energy conservation in a system can be explained by describing energy transfers and transformations

(ACSSU190)

The motion of objects can be described and predicted using the laws of physics (ACSSU229)

Design and Technology: Processes and Production

Year 7/8

Critique needs or opportunities for designing and investigate, analyse and select from a range of materials,

components, tools, equipment and processes to develop design ideas (ACTDEP035)

Effectively and safely use a broad range of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to

make designed solutions (ACTDEP037)

Year 9/10

Apply design thinking, creativity, innovation and enterprise skills to develop, modify and communicate

design ideas of increasing sophistication (ACTDEP049)

Work flexibly to safely test, select, justify and use appropriate technologies and processes to make designed

solutions (ACTDEP050)

Design and Technology: Knowledge and Understanding Year 9/10

Investigate and make judgments on how the characteristics and properties of materials, systems,

components, tools and equipment can be combined to create designed solutions (ACTDEK046)

Australian National Curriculum Online: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/