Airplane
Students will design and build a motorized airplane with the ability to fly around a stationary power pole.
Rockets
Students will design, build and launch a single stage model rocket. Students will first learn about the components of rocket flight through experimentation and simulation.
Helicopters
Students will design and build a helicopter capable of vertical flight from a launch station
Essential Questions
- What are the four components of flight?
- What are the prevailing theories on lift?
- What is the primary difference between an airplane and a rocket?
- What are the prevailing theories on helicopter flight
- How does Newtons 3rd law apply to thrust?
Students will be able to answer the following questions:
- What is the optimal ratio of fin size to cone size?
- What are the optimal shapes for cones and fins?
- How does aspect ratio affect drag and lift?
- How does the dihedral angle affect stability?
- Why a tail rotor is necessary ?
Students should be able to:
Determine (physically) a glider’s
- Center of pressure
- Center of gravity
- Aspect Ratio
- Dihedral angle
Calculate a glider’s
- Center of pressure
- Center of gravity
Determine (physically) a rocket’s
- Center of pressure
- Center of gravity
Calculate a rocket’s
- Center of pressure
- Center of gravity
Determine optimal placement of helicopter blades
Students will know:
- A rocket’s center of pressure must be below the center of gravity for the rocket to be stable.
- The different purposes of wings and fins
- A helicopter's blades are actually rotary wings
- How rotational inertia and angular momentum affect helicopter flight
- An airplane's center of pressure must be behind the center of gravity for the airplane to be stable
