science experiment with paper airplanes

The Science of Flight with Paper Airplanes

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Today, we’ll explore the fascinating science of flight through some fun and entertaining paper airplane experiments.  While airplanes sometimes feel like magic the way they stay afloat, there are scientific principles to explain it all!

We recently visited the Hill Airfare Museum in Ogden, UT.  It is an amazing display of aircraft that the military has used over the years.  I learned so much about airplane design and thought it would be fun to go deeper with my kids. My husbands grandfather was a pilot in WWII and we got to see the type of plane he flew during that time. It’s always great when we can incorporate some of our own family history into our lessons.

The Science of Flight:

Before we dive into making paper planes, let’s learn the basic principles and science of flight. There are four forces at play when it comes to keeping an object airborne: lift, weight (gravity), thrust, and drag.

Forces of Flight :

• Lift: Lift is the force that allows an object to rise against the force of gravity. It directly opposes the weight of an airplane and keeps it up. For airplanes, lift happens due to the aerodynamic shape of the airplane wing. The aircraft design causes the air to move faster on top of the wings causing greater air pressure on the bottom of the wing. This pressure difference helps lift the plane. This is also known as Bernoulli’s Principle.  Newton’s third law of motion is in effect here, too.  I’ll talk more about that in a minute.
• Weight (Gravity): Gravity is a force of attraction pulling everything to the center of the Earth. To stay in the air, an airplane needs to have enough lift to counteract its weight. Otherwise, the plane would not be able to fly.
• Thrust: Thrust is the forward force that propels an object through the air. When birds fly, they use flapping wings to thrust them forward.  Airplanes use engines to create thrust and propel them forward. The thrust helps overcome the drag of the planes. We can also bring in Newton’s 3rd law of Motion to this: “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”  Airplanes use a jet engine or a propeller.  There is an expulsion of exhaust gases or air at high speed with these engines. The action is the expulsion of these gases in one direction, and the reaction is the equal and opposite force propelling or thrusting the aircraft forward.
• Drag: Drag is the resistance the airplane encounters as it moves through the air. It’s essential to balance the amount of thrust and the amount of drag for efficient and controlled flight. Drag is caused by friction and air pressure. Aeronautical engineers have learned to reduce drag by using smother materials and narrower wings. You may have thought that giant wings will make a plane fly better, but that’s not always the case!

Science of Paper Airplanes:

Now, let’s apply these principles to paper airplanes. Believe it or not, these simple paper airplanes follow the same scientific principles that keep jet planes in the air!  Science is awesome like that.

• Aerodynamics: The shape of a paper airplane is critical for generating lift. Experiment with different folds and designs to find the best balance. I have some examples below! An aerodynamic shape will help your plane fly a greater distance through the air.
• Weight Distribution: Play around with the weight distribution of your paper plane. A well-balanced plane will fly more smoothly. Try adding paperclips to the nose or tail until you find a good balance.
• Thrust: The initial force you give your paper airplane when launching it is its thrust. Experiment with different launch angles and amounts of force to see how they affect the flight. You can even try launching it with a rubber band!
• Drag Reduction: Reduce your airplane”s drag by keeping the surfaces smooth. Avoid wrinkles and folds that could create extra resistance.

These same principles work when flying a kite, too! The principles of aerodynamics, lift and drag all apply to kites. Maybe I’ll do a post on that someday, too!

Science of Flight with Paper Airplanes:

Now that you know the basics, let’s conduct a little experiment. Create two paper airplanes with different designs and test which one flies farther. Observe how changes in wing shape, weight distribution, and thrust affect the flight. Don’t forget to record your findings!

Here are two of our favorite paper airplane designs. They are made the same way, one just starts with folding the paper widthwise and the other starts by folding it lengthwise.

The History of Flight:

Learning about the science of flight cannot be complete without a little knowledge about the history of it, too. All through the ages, man has wanted to learn to fly.  There are some incredible stories of bravery and perseverance as people gradually learned more about the principles of flight.

Humans first flew above the ground in a hot air balloon. In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers successfully launched the world’s first manned hot air balloon in Annonay, France. The balloon rose to an altitude of about 6,000 feet and traveled over a mile.  The science of how a hot air balloon flies is a whole other post, but many of the same scientific principles apply.  I’ll share more not hat another day!

The first airplane flight was achieved by the Wright Brothers in 1903.  Orville and Wilbur Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio, achieved the first controlled, sustained, powered flight. Their airplane, the Wright Flyer, took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and flew for just 12 seconds.  It covered a distance of 120 feet.  Following their flight, the technology quickly advanced with many others jumping in to help.

The first flight into space is also a monumental moment in the history of flight.  In 1961, Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union became the first person in space. The Vostok 1 circled the Earth at a speed of 17,000 mph! with his flight lasting 108 minutes. Isn’t it amazing that in just over 50 years, we went from the first 12 second flight to a flight into space!

Whether your kids are flying paper planes through the living room or dreaming of becoming a pilot one day, understanding the science of flight is the key to understanding how it all works. So, let your kids keep experimenting.  Maybe one day they will design the next generation of airplanes!

See More Fun Science Activities:

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Do you have my Science Art book yet?  Be sure to grab your copy for more awesome science ideas!

Former school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kids. Loves creating awesome hands-on creative learning ideas to make learning engaging and memorable for all kids!

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February 28, 2013

Soaring Science: Test Paper Planes with Different Drag

An aerodynamic activity from Science Buddies

By Science Buddies

Key concepts Aerodynamics Planes Forces Drag Physics

Introduction Have you ever wondered what makes a paper plane fly? Some paper planes clearly fly better than others. But why is this? One factor is the kind of design used to build the plane. In this activity you'll get to build a paper plane and change its basic design to see how this affects its flight. There's a lot of cool science in this activity, such as how forces act on a plane so it can fly. So get ready to start folding!

Background The forces that allow a paper plane to fly are the same ones that apply to real airplanes. A force is something that pushes or pulls on something else. When you throw a paper plane in the air, you are giving the plane a push to move forward. That push is a type of force called thrust. While the plane is flying forward, air moving over and under the wings is providing an upward lift force on the plane. At the same time, air pushing back against the plane is slowing it down, creating a drag force. The weight of the paper plane also affects its flight, as gravity pulls it down toward Earth. All of these forces (thrust, lift, drag and gravity) affect how well a given paper plane's voyage goes. In this activity you will increase how much drag a paper plane experiences and see if this changes how far the plane flies.

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Materials • Sheet of paper • Ruler • Scissors • Large open area in which to fly a paper plane, such as a long hallway, school gym or basketball court. If you're flying your paper plane outside, such as in a field, try to do it when there isn't any wind. • Something to make at least a one-foot-long line, such as a long string, another ruler, masking tape, rocks or sticks. • Paper clips (optional)

Preparation • Make a standard, "dart" design paper airplane (for instructions, go to the Amazing Paper Airplanes Web page ). • Fold your paper into the basic dart paper plane. Fold carefully and make your folds as sharp as possible, such as by running a thumbnail or a ruler along each fold to crease it. Do not bend up the tailing edge of the wings (step 6 of the online folding instructions). • Go to a large open area and, using string, a ruler, masking tape, rocks or sticks, make a line in front of you that's at least one foot long, going from left to right. This will be the starting line from which you'll fly the paper plane.

Procedure • Place your toe on the line you prepared and throw the paper plane. Did it fly very far? • Throw the plane at least four more times. Each time before you throw the plane, make sure it is still in good condition (that the folds and points are still sharp). When you toss it, place your toe on the line and try to launch the plane with a similar amount of force, including gripping it at the same spot. Did it go about the same distance each time? • Once you have a good idea of about how far your plane typically flies, change the plane’s shape to increase how much drag it experiences. To do this, cut slits that are about one inch long right where either wing meets the middle ridge. Fold up the cut section on both wings so that each now has a one-inch-wide section at the end of the wing that is folded up, at about a 90-degree angle from the rest of the wing. • Throw your modified paper plane at least five more times, just as you did before. How far does the paper plane fly now compared with before? Why do you think this is, and what does it have to do with drag? • Extra: Make paper planes that are different sizes and compare how well they fly. Do bigger planes fly farther? • Extra: Try making paper planes out of different types of paper, such as printer paper, construction paper and newspaper. Use the same design for each. Does one type of paper seem to work best for making paper planes? Does one type work the worst? • Extra: Some people like to add paper clips to their paper planes to make them fly better. Try adding a paper clip (or multiple paper clips) to different parts of your paper plane (such as the front, back, middle or wings) and then flying it. How does this affect the plane's flight? Does adding paper clips somewhere make its flight better or much worse? Observations and results Did the original plane fly the farthest? Did the plane with increased drag fly a much shorter distance?

As a paper plane moves through the air, the air pushes against the plane, slowing it down. This force is called drag. To think about drag, imagine you are in a moving car and you put your hand out the window. The force of the air pushing your hand back as you move forward is drag, also sometimes referred to as air resistance. In this activity you increased how much drag acted on the paper plane by making a one-inch-high vertical strip on both wings. For example, this is what happens when you're in a moving car with your hand out the window and you change its position from horizontal to vertical. When your hand is held out vertically, it catches a greater amount of air and experiences a greater drag than when it is horizontal. You could probably feel this, as your hand would be more forcefully pushed back as the car moves forward. This is what happened to the modified plane—it experienced a greater amount of drag, which pushed it back more than the original plane. This experiment has clearly demonstrated that altering how just one force acts on a paper plane can dramatically change how well it flies.

Cleanup Recycle the paper plane when you are done with it.

More to explore Dynamics of Flight: Forces of Flight , from NASA What Makes Paper Airplanes Fly? , from Scholastic Forces of Flight—Drag , from The Franklin Institute How Far Will It Fly? Build and Test Various Paper Planes , from Science Buddies

This activity brought to you in partnership with  Science Buddies

Paper Airplanes: The science behind it

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Do you remember folding and flying paper airplanes when you were a child? It turns out that they’re not only fun, but can be a great teaching experience for your child.

Building paper airplanes with your child helps them to understand simple principles of aerodynamics, like what makes a plane fly and what can affect the flight. It also helps with the concept of distance, since you can measure how far each paper airplane flies during your experiment.

I know it sounds a little intimidating to teach your child about aerodynamics, but these concepts are very basic and I walk you through the entire thing below!

How to make the Paper Airplanes experiment

Supplies you will need.

For the paper airplane experiment, you’ll need:

• 3 sheets of printer paper

Before you start

Although I do walk you through the steps of making 3 different paper airplanes, I did gather these folds from a great site called Fold ‘N Fly . If you find these particular airplanes challenging, you may find a better fit for you on their site.

I do recommend choosing 2-3 different airplane folds so you can cover the science behind it by comparing the models. The 3 folds I cover here have varying wing lengths, and that’s what we will talk through in the “Science Behind It” section.

Instructions

Here is how to do the paper airplane experiment with your child:

Step 1: Fold 2-3 paper airplanes

I chose to do 3 paper airplane folds. I’ll link to each one on the Fold ‘N Fly site below, as well as include a quick video of me folding them.

“The Basic” – this is the paper airplane fold that most people first learn how to fold. Very easy to do!

“Basic Dart” – the next level up from the basic airplane fold. It’s sleeker and is supposed to travel farther.

“The Stable” – I hadn’t heard of this fold before, but it was easy to do and, like its name, is very stable and can fly far.

Get your child involved : If your child is able to do simple folds, allow them to make the first couple of folds on each paper airplane. If not, then start the fold and let them press on the crease.

(Optional) Step 2: Create a runway to track the flying distance of each airplane

I chose to use painter’s tape on the carpet for this step. Just stick a few lines of tape on the carpet before flying your airplanes and see which went the farthest!

Get your child involved : Let them fly the plane! Show them how to hold it properly and how much force to throw it with and see how far they can throw it. If you have extra paper, create an extra airplane of each fold so you can compete!

The science behind the Paper Airplanes experiment

Teaching your child about aerodynamics is a lot more fun when they get to build and fly airplanes. This experiment does just that: testing out different airplanes, asking questions about why and what makes them fly further, and flying them to find the answers!

In our experiment, we test out 3 different airplanes of varying wing lengths and bodies. This allows us to answer important questions about flying airplanes:

• Which model of airplane will fly farther? One with a shorter or longer wingspan?
• Does the length of the airplane affect anything?
• Which model allows us to fly higher? Perform spins? Fly further? Fly more controlled?

While you’re running the experiment with your child, compare the wingspans before flight, then test each one. It will help them to keep that information in mind while flying the airplanes.

How it works

There are several different forces at work that affect how far our paper airplanes will fly:

• Drag – resistance our airplanes encounter while moving through the air
• Thrust – the forward movement of the airplane, which is provided by us in this experiment
• Lift – the air below the airplane wings that help it keep flying
• Gravity – the force that pulls the airplane downward

The first and third folds, “Basic” and “The Stable” are considered gliders (although “Basic” is more of a hybrid between a dart and glider) and the second fold is a dart.

Gliders can utilize lift much better than darts due to their larger wingspan, although they cannot tolerate much thrust to get it started. Darts, on the other hand, can tolerate a large amount of thrust but cannot utilize lift as well.

While the larger wingspan does allow the gliders to have longer flight time, they do not technically fly the farthest distance. Darts, given their resiliency to a larger amount of thrust, allow them to fly farther and spend less time aloft.

More physics experiments to try out with your child

• Catapults – build a catapult and see what makes your objects fly farther!
• Sink or float – what is density and how do you know when something is denser than the liquid it’s in?

FAQ about the Paper Airplanes Experiment

What makes a paper airplane fly farther.

When it comes to distance, dart paper airplanes tend to fly farther than a glider. This is due to the amount of thrust a dart can handle, giving it more power to fly farther.

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Paper Airplane STEM Challenge for grades 3–6

January 16, 2020 by Evan-Moor | 0 comments

Paper airplanes are the perfect STEM project for classroom science lessons! It’s an easy and fun lesson idea for large groups of children, and teaches key scientific concepts like aerodynamics, velocity, thrust, speed, and other scientific forces. Teach your students about the different components of flight while making it a fun and memorable experience! As a summer camp counselor, I used this project nearly every week. The children were engaged and interested for long periods of time, designing their own planes, coloring them, trying out different styles, and testing flight!

Listed below are three simple paper airplane designs to include in your STEM aerodynamics lesson.

How to Make Paper Airplanes

This activity will teach your students about aerodynamics, the forces of flight, and the fun of paper airplanes! By making three different models of paper airplanes and testing each of them, students will begin to understand what makes a plane fly and how they can design their very own paper airplane!

You’ll need to gather some materials for paper airplane making and testing. You’ll need:

• I’ve found that while children like to use colored construction paper, it is too heavy to fly and a bit more difficult to fold, so I would recommend regular printer paper or lightweight colored paper.
• Paper clips (optional)
• Tape (also optional)
• It’s always fun to have the students decorate their planes! You can even have them give their planes a name and write it along the side. Each plane will look very different!
• Tape measure
• Large outdoor space (preferred)

Once you have all the listed materials, you’ll need an Airplane Comparison Chart, like the one shown below. These are simple to make and reproduce. You simply need three columns and nine rows. Each row will be for an individual trial of one of the airplanes. Each column will measure the time, distance, and average measurements of each plane.

Follow the directions to create three different paper airplane designs.   Tips for paper airplane folding:  Line up your fold before you crease. Make good creases and tight folds to improve the aerodynamics of the plane. Keep your folding as symmetrical as possible for better flight results. Add tape if you will be throwing the plane multiple times so it doesn’t fall apart after each throw. Staples also work, but will add weight to the plane.

• Fold your paper hot dog style.
• Lay the paper out in front of you, portrait style.
• Fold the top-right corner to the center crease, lining up the edges and creating a triangle.
• Do the same thing with the left corner.
• Fold the right side again, along the crease.
• Do the same thing with the left side.
• Fold the plane inwards, in half, so the previous folds are on the inside.
• Fold back one side so the edges align.
• Flip and repeat with the other wing.

Tip for throwing: For this plane, hold it slightly above your head when throwing to achieve a better liftoff. Use a nice level throw; don’t aim too high or too low.

• Fold the point of the plane down, creating a fold along the bottom of the corner triangles. The tip should be about ⅓ of the page from the bottom of the paper.
• Fold the top-right corner to the center, about one inch above the tip.
• Repeat with the left corner. This should create a small triangle at the point.
• Fold the small triangle up.
• Flip your plane over so that your folds are on the table.
• Fold your plane in half, left side onto its right, so the edges line up.
• Fold the top wing down so your edges align.
• Flip and repeat with other wing.

• Fold your paper hamburger style.
• Lay the paper out in front of you, landscape style.
• Fold the top-right corner point to the center, about an inch and a half from the top of the paper.
• Repeat with the top-left corner point, forming a wide upside-down triangle at the top of the paper.
• Fold the top of the paper down, to the tip of the upside-down triangle.
• Fold the top over itself again, crease well. Repeat this fold twice more.
• Fold in half, inwards. Unfold.
• Fold in half, outwards.
• Make a crease about one inch from the left edge and fold the right side/top wing to the left on this crease. Flip and repeat.
• Fold 1 inch on edge of wings up.

Hint: For this plane, throw it angled more steeply upwards, instead of straight, to see it glide. This plane needs a hard throw.

Tips for airplane throwing: Most planes require a loose and light grip, and a quick throw. Tilt your plane up slightly before you throw it, and release early. This will help your plane catch the wind and propel itself upwards, using lift force.

• Fly the planes to test time aloft and distance. Record the information on the Airplane Comparison Chart. (to match chart)
• After testing, have students try to design their own paper airplane, using components from the planes they’ve already made. Have them name their new plane.
• Test the students’ planes. Record the test results on the Challenge Chart.

STEM Challenge: Airplane Grade 3

Now that your students are locked in on creating paper airplanes, start to dive into the science behind it! Evan-Moor’s STEM Lessons and Challenges grade 3 features a unit on airplanes and the physical science of air resistance. The unit includes vocabulary like lift , thrust , gravity , drag , and aerodynamics . This STEM unit challenges students to design and create a paper airplane that goes a long distance with accuracy and is available on Teachers Pay Teachers here .   Using a premade paper airplane or diagram to demonstrate, discuss the forces of flight with your students. Highlight key vocabulary such as: lift , weight , thrust , and drag .

• Lift is the force that is created by the wings of the airplane, which push air down so the aircraft rises up.
• Weight , along with gravity, pulls down on the plane, opposite the lift.
• Thrust is the force that propels the plane forward, created by the engines of the aircraft.
• Drag is the air resistance that acts opposite the thrust.

Have fun flying your very own paper airplanes! This easy and fun STEM lesson can be adapted for all ages, and paper airplanes never get old. Challenge your students to design their own plane, tweak it for optimal performance, and get creative with their designs and decorations.

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Paper Airplane Flight Challenge

Grade level, 15 min - 1 hr, engineering and tech, stem practices, developing and using models, activity type:, engineering activity , family activity.

Unsure about a new design? Scientists and engineers often start with a model. With a model, you can test new ideas on a small-scale before going bigger. They are also cheaper, easier to produce, and often expose any design flaws.

For us at home, the paper airplane continues to serve as a popular model to explore physics, aerodynamics, and engineering. Discover what makes a paper airplane fly longer, farther, and higher with this design challenge—all you need is a piece of paper!

Gather Materials

• Recycled paper (try to get a bunch of different types)
• Paper Airplane Data Collection Worksheet

Before we start building, we need to prepare to test all of our designs. Find a space in your home where paper airplanes can fly safely. Grab a ruler and use tape to mark every 12 inches along the floor. Use the Paper Airplane Data Collection Worksheet to record the distance of multiple airplane flights.

Build A Base Design

Using recycled materials from around your home, fold a “basic dart” paper airplane.

How far does your basic dart airplane fly? Do you have ideas for how to make your plane fly farther?

Test Out Some Variations

Like all planes, paper airplanes experience four forces: gravity, thrust, lift, and drag. Simple changes, like wing size, body weight, and throw power can significantly alter the forces your plane experiences.

Get creative and adjust various aspects of your plane. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

#1: Increase Lift

As the plane travels, air moves quickly over the top of the wings. This creates lower pressure over the wings, allowing the high pressure under the wings to lift the plane up. Try making wider wings or wings that curve up or down at the ends.

#2: Limit Drag

Air molecules push against the front of the plane as it travels, slowing it down. Make sure your plane’s nose is pointed and the body is lightweight.

#3: Change The Thrust

When you throw your plane, you provide thrust, which pushes the plan forward through the air. This forward movement causes air molecules to travel over the top and bottom of the wings. Does the strength or the angle at which you throw your plan have an impact?

#4: Try A New Material

The weight of the plane can pull it downward. How does a heavier or lighter paper change your plane?

Design Your Own Airplane

Put your design skills to the test with a paper airplane flight challenge! After creating so many test planes, you should have a good idea of what goes into making a paper plane that can travel long distances.

The Challenge

Gather members of your household and see who can produce the model plane that flies farthest. Remember to consider the forces your plane will experience when designing your plane.

Reflection Questions

1. Are there other ways to define paper airplane success besides distance? 2. What changes did you make to your original plane design? 3. How did members of your household design their planes differently? 4. What was most surprising to you about your plane tests?

What’s The Science?

All airplanes, whether in your house or 35,000 feet in the sky, fly because the forces that push and pull them are balanced. It may sound simple, but many important design choices contribute to successfully keeping a plane in the air.

Even though more than a century has passed since humans achieved powered flight, new plane designs are still emerging. Researchers are especially interested in ways to make planes more environmentally friendly. Over the years, NASA has developed and tested new plane technologies , including ways to reduce fuel consumption and noise pollution. Recently, Airbus revealed a new airplane design that promises to release zero emissions into the atmosphere.

Related Links

Excited to learn more about the aerodynamics behind paper planes? Start with some advice from the world record holder for longest paper airplane flight: Aerodynamics Explained by World Record Paper Airplane Designer

Looking to become an experienced airplane folder? Check out Fold N’ Fly for basic and expert-level tutorials.

Written by Jennifer Powers Cover illustration by Carrie Lapolla Editing by Xochitl Garcia and Ariel Zych Digital Production by Ariel Zych

Meet the Writer

About Jennifer Powers

Jennifer Powers is a science educator at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, where she makes science fun for everyone through strategically designed exhibits and hands-on activities. She has bachelor’s degrees in botany and Spanish from Washington State University and a master’s degree in plant ecology from the University of Wyoming.

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Privacy Overview

Make it fly

A paper plane, glider or helicopter falls to the ground much more slowly and more gracefully than a scrunched-up piece of paper – as the designs in this activity show. It’s all thanks to the forces generated by air pressing on and moving over the surface of the paper.

Printable downloads

 follow these steps….

Think and talk about…

• Which design travels fastest and why do you think this is?
• Why do these designs behave differently to a scrunched-up piece of paper?
• How do your paper planes compare with the shapes of real planes you’ve seen?

Investigate…

Which way does the helicopter spin? Can you make it spin the other way?

What do you notice if you make the front of the plane heavier?

Make your own plane design and see if you can make it travel further than the others.

Did you know?

In December 2010 a paper aeroplane thrown by Takuo Toda in Hiroshima, Japan, stayed in the air for 29.2 seconds – a world record.

What’s the science?

Moving through air also creates a kind of friction called air resistance, or ‘drag’, which tends to slow down anything moving through the air.

Science in your world

Look out for these designs in nature as well.

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• Our Mission

Science Takes Flight With Paper Airplanes

A well-designed STEM activity helps elementary students understand the basics of physics and design thinking.

My father, a principal and teacher for more than 30 years, saw teachable moments in everything—even in what others might call garbage. Paper airplanes, for example, might be confiscated in class but then become the centerpiece for an impromptu lunch or recess lesson on forces of flight such as drag and lift.

I’ve adopted my dad’s educational philosophy of finding teachable moments in everything —including paper airplanes. Over the years, I’ve found that activities rooted in the construction and analysis of paper airplanes work in all sorts of contexts, from STEAM fair projects to remote learning lessons on aviation.

Lesson Launch

Whenever possible, I like to have my students do independent research, which not only makes the project more student centered but also builds their research skills—including those that they will need at several points during the project. So when I start the paper airplane project, I always launch it by having my students research ticket prices for overseas flights so they have a better idea of the distance an airplane must travel and the time it must stay in the air.

Since I worked in the Middle East for years, I usually choose a destination that I am familiar with, such as Qatar—that way I can work in some world culture teaching if the moment seems right. Once students are aware of the high prices of such flights, I ask them to brainstorm why. To help them with this, I suggest finding out how many hours and miles the flight is.

Armed with some idea of the distance and time, my students usually start thinking about the large amount of fuel it takes for an overseas flight—and then they make the connection between cost and fuel, which sets them up to think critically about how to reduce both.

Introduction to Physics

Once they have the concept of fuel efficiency in mind, I ask them, “How would you build a more fuel-efficient airplane to make it more affordable for people to travel?” Usually that stumps them, so we wind up taking a planned reroute into physics.

When I ask them what makes an airplane fly, often they don’t really know, so I send them to Google to find the answer on their own. Then we regroup and discuss what they learned and diagram the four forces of flight: lift, weight, thrust, and drag.

Next, we talk about what roles these four forces play in the plane’s structure. I ask them, “How does the engine help an airplane to fly? After all, my car has an engine, why can’t it fly?”

These prompts send the students off on an additional Google search, where they discover the term lift .

Having established that a plane’s engine helps provide lift, I ask, “Can a plane fly without an engine?”

The kids don’t even try to google this one. They just make gestures of a nosedive and the sound of an explosion.

When they google “engineless flight,” they are typically amazed to learn that most modern airplanes can glide in the event of an engine failure.They quickly come to the conclusion that the farther a plane can glide, the less fuel it will use.

When we move on to the challenge, I tell them, “Use what you know about the four forces of flight to design a paper airplane that can glide a great distance. Your plane must be made out of only one piece of paper. Your plane must be folded—not glued or stapled, because that would change the drag.”

I set the parameters for the lesson: They can research paper airplane designs on their computers, and they can fold and try as many designs as they have paper for. I then tell them that they will share their designs with the class and explain why they think it worked or didn’t work.

My students are granted at least two days to work on their designs, but we often get so involved in the project that we need more time. Each day, we meet to try our planes and discuss how we can improve them. This trial-and-error process is one of the most critical parts of the lesson and the most powerful for students.

We end our project by taking our airplanes to a clear space like a school or, if they’re learning from home, a backyard or apartment hallway. The students fly their planes and measure the distance they glide. Remote learners video-record their test flights and share them with the class. I remind the students that it’s not a competition, and I encourage them to continue fine-tuning their designs and discuss ways to improve them.

Every time I do this project, some students fold a traditional paper airplane and then give up when it doesn’t fly as far as more original designs created by their classmates. They have a hard time letting go of the idea that a traditional paper airplane is the best. They often keep folding the same design over and over and becoming more and more frustrated because it won’t fly. 

I see this as one of those teachable moments in science (and in life) that can make a profound impact on a child: They realize that if they have always been told, “This is the way a thing is,” that doesn’t mean it’s the way it has to stay. It’s a way of showing them that science is more than the study of the world around us; it is an act of dreaming of the way things could be.

FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

• TeachEngineering
• Paper Airplanes: Building, Testing, & Improving. Heads Up!

Hands-on Activity Paper Airplanes: Building, Testing, & Improving. Heads Up!

Grade Level: 6 (5-7)

Time Required: 45 minutes

Expendable Cost/Group: US $1.00

Group Size: 1

Activity Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Physical Science

NGSS Performance Expectations:

Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• Fun with Bernoulli
• Air Pressure
• Windy Tunnel
• Bend That Bar
• Physics Tug of War
• Equal & Opposite Thrust in Aircraft: You’re a Pushover!
• What a Drag!
• Better By Design
• Let's Get It There Fast
• Balsa Glider Competition
• Design a Flying Machine

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Engineering connection, learning objectives, materials list, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, troubleshooting tips, activity extensions, activity scaling, additional multimedia support, user comments & tips.

Engineers often create small-size models of a new product to test its design. This is especially true with airplanes. Model testing tells engineers how a design responds to different air conditions and aircraft shapes, and lets them experiment with the control surfaces that are used to steer the aircraft. Using small models guides engineers to discard prototypes that do not work, which is a smarter option than than throwing away full-size (large and expensive to build) aircraft that do not work.

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Create a paper model of an airplane to use in experiments.
• Use their observations of paper airplane flight to explain flight.
• Find the average distance of flight trials.
• Explain how engineers often create small-size models of new products to test designs.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science.

Common Core State Standards - Math

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State standards, colorado - math, colorado - science.

Each student needs:

• 1 of the 4 paper airplane designs in the  Plane Patterns Handout and its associated  Plane Design Instructions ; vary designs among students
• Flight Distances Worksheet
• 1-2 sheets of 8.5 x 11" copy paper

For the class to share:

• tape measure and/or meter sticks, and/or use cones to mark every five feet
• stopwatch, or a watch with a second hand
• completed examples of each of the 4 paper airplane designs
• overhead projector to show the Plane Overhead Transparency  and Distance/Time Table .
• (optional) calculators

Paper airplanes are gliders. They have a main body, and generally two wings. Some are more complex, with tails, rudders and flaps. The wings compress the air below the paper airplane, creating high pressure, and thus the airplane is able to "sit" and glide on the air. Moving the rudders, ailerons, or flaps up or down can change the flight path of an airplane. For example, folding down the wing flaps can result in a nosedive and folding up the flaps can point the airplane in an upward direction. (Show the class an overhead transparency of the Blank Plane Diagram  and have students come up to the board and identify/label the various parts. See Figure 1 for the answers. For younger students, you may want to list the parts nearby from which they can choose.) 

Engineers start with designing and testing several different models of an airplane before they get the approval to build a real one. They typically must work under specific constraints or limits, including the purpose of the airplane. By testing different models of planes, engineers can determine which one is best for distance, speed and other factors.

Today, we are going to learn how to design some simple gliders and airplanes using paper. The class is going to design and build a few different models and determine which paper airplane is the best for distance.

Before the Activity

• Gather materials and make copies of the Flight Distances Worksheet .
• Make enough copies of the four different types of paper airplanes in the Plane Patterns Handout , and their instructions in the  Plane Design Instructions , one design per student.
• Make a few models of the four airplane designs to get a feel for how to make them and how they fly.
• Prepare an indoor (hallway, gym) or outdoor plane testing area—an unobstructed area to throw the planes and measure flight time and distances.
• Become familiar with the activity vocabulary. List new terms, such as "aileron" and "rudder," on a chart or the classroom board.
• Prepare overhead transparencies to show the class: Blank Plane Diagram  and Distance/Time Table .

With the Students

• Conduct the pre-activity assessment brainstorming, as described in the Assessment section.
• Present the Introduction/Motivation content to the class.
• Demonstrate one or two paper airplanes. Discuss and list on the board the airplane parts they may know about, and add any terms they do not know, such as "elevator" and "rudder."
• Then list factors they may know about that would affect flight (for example, plane shape, wing shape, weight, weight at the nose, tails, flaps, rudders, etc.).
• Explain that they will get to try several designs and see how they work. Hand out a variety of plane designs and their instructions, so each table/general area has an assortment. Give students time to work on the airplanes.
• Inform students on the method to measure flight distance and flight time, such as the following:
• Set out cones every five feet and have students estimate their flight distance based on the cones.
• Have students individually measure their flight distances using tape measures or meter sticks.
• Have students use a stopwatch to time how long their planes stay in the air.
• In the plane-testing area, have students test and gather data by performing three test flights with their first plane designs. Direct students to record all three flight distances on their worksheets.
• Hand out blank paper, and let students design and test a second airplane. Inform students that this second design should be their own, original design and entirely different from the first plane design that was provided to them.
• Have students test their second designs, again recording the distances and times.
• Have students compute on their worksheets the average flight times and distances for both plane designs.
• To conclude the activity, lead a class discussion. Make an effort to use the new airplane parts terminology. Question prompts:
• What did you learn?
• What changes did you make in your second airplane design and how did those changes affect the flight distance?
• Who's plane went farther than five feet? Farther than 10 feet? The farthest of all?
• Did certain designs go farther than others? Why?
• What were your flight times? What was the longest flight time?
• Did certain designs stay aloft longer than others? Why?
• Did you notice a relationship between average distance and average time? (Expect a weak relationship between time and distance since it is possible for a plane to fly straight up for a while but only travel a few feet forward.)
• To analyze the class data, first take a poll of the class to compile data counts to complete the Distance/Time Table  as an overhead transparency. Direct students to use the larger of their two averages from design 1 or design 2.  
• Using the class data, have students individually make bar graphs with number of students on the x-axis and distance on the y-axis. Which distance has the largest number of paper gliders that went that far?
• If time permits, as a class, determine who has the longest time average.

Pre-Activity Assessment

Brainstorming:  Before starting the activity, have students generate a number of possible ideas about the activity topic. Encourage wild ideas and discourage criticism of any ideas. Ask:

• What are all the different ways you can design a paper airplane?

Activity Embedded Assessment

Worksheet: Have students record on the  Flight Distances Worksheet  their flight distances and times for both plane designs. Review their data to assess their engagement and comprehension of the experimental testing process.

Post-Activity Assessment

Class Discussion: Ask students to list factors that they noticed affected their airplane model test flights. Record their answers on the board. Ask how they would change their designs if they had more time to work on them. Have them list some of the variables that affect flight (such as the weight of the plane's parts, wing shape, wing length, rudders, ailerons, plane length, etc.)

Pass the Buck:  In groups of four, have students brainstorm ideas to design the perfect paper airplane. First, assign one student in the group to be the recorder. Then have someone toss out an idea. Next, another person in the group provides an idea that builds on the first. Go around the group in this fashion until all students have put in enough ideas to put together a design. When they are done, have them share their ideas with the class.

Safety Issues

Provide a clear path for the airplanes to be thrown so that people are not be in the path of the paper airplanes.

Clarify to students when and where to fly the airplanes. Ideally, conduct the activity in a hallway, gym or outdoors. You may want to show them how to fold some of the trickier paper airplanes as a group before you let them try on their own.

If some students have dificulty folding the paper airplanes, ask other students who have mastered the process to help them.

Expect that some students already have experience with paper airplanes. Let them know that they will get a chance to demonstrate their favorite airplane design in a later lesson, but the purpose of this activity is to get some basic folding shapes down for the entire class. Or, ask them to do one of the provided patterns for their first trials and their own designs for the second trial. Then, have the students explain what changes were made to improve the plane for the second trial.

For extra math practice, have students create a line or bar graph of their individual plane trials.

Have students complete other challenges with their paper airplanes. Set up a mock landing pad, a target or a hoop to measure plane flight accuracy.

Check out kits for very cool paper airplanes; see https://www.amazon.com/Supercool-Paper-Airplanes-Kit-Instruction/dp/0804845727 .

• For younger students, keep it simple by limiting the designs to one paper airplane prototype design. And, it may be easier if you do not introduce the concept of control surfaces such as rudders and elevators. Also, complete the bar graph as a class or in small groups.
• For older students, encourage more complex models and manipulate them more. Encourage students to come up with their own unique paper airplane designs (even for the first plane design), and have them explain their designs to the class in terms of what they changed to improve flight.

A helpful NASA diagram shows the basic ariplane parts and their functions; see https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/beginners-guide-to-aeronautics/airplane-parts-function/ .

Students are introduced to the art of designing airplanes through paper airplane constructions. The goal is for students to learn important aircraft design considerations and how engineers must iterate their designs to achieve success.

Students learn about airplane control surfaces on tails and wings, and engineering testing wherein one variable is changed while others are held constant. Through the associated activity, they compare the performance of a single paper airplane design while changing its shape, size and flap positions...

Students act as if they are engineers designing gliders, aiming to improve the flight distance and time in the air. This activity brings together students' knowledge of engineering and airplanes, applying what they have previously learned about lift, weight, thrust and drag to glider models, as well...

Students learn about kites and gliders and how these models can help in understanding the concept of flight. Then students move on to conduct the associated activity, during which teams design and build their own balsa wood glider models and experiment with different control surfaces, competing for ...

Paper Aircraft Association. Accessed 2004. http://www.topphotograph.dsl.pipex.com/paamain/index.html

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no. 0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: April 19, 2023

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Paper Airplanes – Aerodynamics

If you love airplanes, try out some of these paper creations in  Building Vehicles That Fly . These paper engineering projects will help you learn the science behind how planes are designed and built. If you understand how the forces of aerodynamics work, you can make a paper airplane that flies really far! In several of the books listed below the directions are really clear with color photographs to help you make the folds correctly. Start out with a couple easy ones and then try something more challenging.

What You Need

• Paper Clips

Do an experiment with three paper airplanes folding the exact same way with the exact same size of paper. Fly all three planes and measure how far they go. What happens if you add one paperclip to each? What happens of you add 2? Or 3? Record your results.

Websites, Printables & Activities

• NASA: How to Make a Dart Airplane
• NASA: How to Build a Paper Jet Model
• NASA: How to Make a Blunt Nose Airplane
• NASA: Four Forces on an Airplane
• NASA: What Is Aerodynamics?
• Printable: PBS Kids Fetch Hang Time
• Exploratorium Try This! Paper Airplanes
• The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis: Airplane Models & Toys

You can also ask a math and science expert for homework help by calling the  Ask Rose Homework Hotline . They provide FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12.

e-Books & Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about paper airplanes at any of our  locations , or  check out paper airplane e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids  right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books  and  learn how to use audiobooks .

Need more help?  Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations  or  call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian . Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Paper Airplanes – Draw or Fold These Aerodynamic Marvels

If you love airplanes, try out some of these paper creations and engineering projects to learn the science behind how planes are designed and built.

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The Science of Paper Airplanes (and how to make them)

August 03, 2021

Young or old, everyone loves to fly paper airplanes. Folding paper to form a glider and competing against other flyers is a tradition that has been around for decades. Paper planes teach us a lot about how real planes stay in the air. What makes a paper airplane fly? You do! With the help of aerodynamic forces: thrust, lift, gravity, and drag.

THE SCIENCE

Aerodynamics.

Aerodynamics is the study of the forces that make objects move in the air – like paper planes. Making one is an excellent way to demonstrate aerodynamics for kids.

Studying the motions of air around an object allows us to measure the forces of lift, which allows an aircraft to overcome gravity and drag. Everything moving through the air, including airplanes, rockets, and hummingbirds, is affected by aerodynamics.

Thrust is the force that moves an aircraft in a certain direction. If the plane has enough thrust and the wings are well designed, the plane will glide for a longer period of time.

Life is a force that acts on the wings and helps the plane to move up. The air that flows around the wings provides lift. Big wings provide greater lift.

The tail of the plane creates resistance and slows the plane down.

Gravity is the force that pulls the plane down. The right materials can create a lighter aircraft that stays up longer.

Other Aerodynamic Factors :

There are other factors that influence aerodynamics. The type of paper used can affect its weight and the amount of friction that exists. How the plan is designed can also vary aerodynamics tremendously. Try adding a paper clip to the back of the plane’s wings.

HOW TO MAKE THEM

Watch the video below to learn how to make a paper airplane for yourself and compete with friends and family to see who can make theirs go the farthest.

Science Experiment for Kids: Paper Airplanes

mom • education

by Holly Homer on March 27th, 2011 | No Comments »

Flight. In theory it makes sense, but to see it in action makes it seem like magic to me. I think that is why paper airplanes are so much fun. The fact that you can turn an ordinary piece of paper into a flying machine in theory makes sense, but in action seems magical.

There are thousands of ways to make a paper airplane. Each fold creates a different result. Some successful. Some not.

Today, we are looking at what would happen if you change just one simple fold in a science experiment from the book Potentially Catastrophic Science by Sean Connelly.

Science Experiment Using Paper Airplanes

• Four pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 paper

First you want to make 4 identical paper airplanes.

These were made by folding the paper in half lengthwise and opening back up.  Fold the upper corners into triangles to the mid-line fold line.  Fold over those triangles with another, longer triangle that goes down almost the entire side of the paper.  Reverse the original lengthwise fold and form wings by folding down very long triangles.

Cut a one inch length slit into each wing at the rear so the wing tip can be folded.

Fold the first plane with both wing tips up, the second with both down, the third with the right up and left down and the fourth with the right down and the left up.

Now stand together with your kid helpers. You are going to throw all four airplanes at the same time in the same direction to see what happens.

When we did this at grandma & grandpa's house we found that one plane headed down, one plane spiraled right, one plane spiraled left and one did an upward loop de loop.

Why does that happen? Once a plane is airborne, there is still the matter of steering it.  Pilots do this by raising and lowering flaps on the wings and tail of the plane. The cool thing about this experiment was that after we finished, we still had four perfectly amazing paper airplanes to play with...

...it doesn't get much better than that.

• Magic Finger
• Dancing Craisins
• Balloon Rocket

The entire series was inspired by the people at Workman . They publish an array of crazy cool children’s science resources.  What I love about this series of science books for children is that they are extremely accessible.  The directions are simple and most of the supplies you probably already have at home.  It is pretty awesome to discover flight in your living room.

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Holly Homer

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Category: education , mom Tags: Children , Dicvoery , Exploration , Flight , Hands-on Learning , kid friendly science experiments , Paper Airplanes , Play , Science , Science Experiments , teaching science

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Scientists experiment with paper planes to study aerodynamics, flight stability

The properties that make a paper airplane fly have much to tell scientists about aerodynamics and flight stability, according to U.S. National Science Foundation grantee researchers at New York University . They conducted a series of experiments using paper planes to make their conclusions.

The research could influence the development of airborne vehicles like drones. The team's research was published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics .

"The study started with simple curiosity about what makes a good paper airplane and specifically what is needed for smooth gliding," said Leif Ristroph, an author of the study. "Answering such basic questions ended up being far from child's play. We discovered that the aerodynamics of how paper airplanes keep level flight is very different from the stability of conventional airplanes."

Paper planes rely on gravity and proper design to successfully glide.

"Birds glide and soar in an effortless way, and paper airplanes, when tuned properly, can also glide for long distances," added co-author Jane Wang. "Surprisingly, there has been no good mathematical model for predicting this seemingly simple but subtle gliding flight."

Paper planes appear unassuming in design and composition, "But paper airplanes, while simple to make, involve surprisingly complex aerodynamics," said Ristroph.

The researchers launched paper planes with different centers of mass, observed paper planes descending into a water tank, and used the data to develop a new aerodynamic model and flight simulator that successfully replicates flight motions.

"The key criterion of a successful glider is that the center of mass must be in the 'just right' place," Ristroph said. "Good paper airplanes achieve this with the front edge folded over several times or by an added paper clip, which requires a little trial and error. The location of the aerodynamic force or center of pressure varies with the angle of flight to ensure stability."

The effect the team found in paper airplanes doesn't happen in the traditional airfoils used as aircraft wings, whose center of pressure stays fixed in place across the angles that occur in flight, according to Ristroph. "The shifting of the center of pressure seems to be a unique property of thin, flat wings, and this ends up being the secret to the stable flight of paper airplanes."

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SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS FOR KIDS

How to make a paper airplane.

Watch your kid’s imagination take flight with this fun and easy project

This animal is not on exhibit in the habitats.  It is one of our Animal Ambassadors and is used in public and school programs.

Download a PDF of this experiment

Making paper airplanes might be one of the oldest activities around, but this simple project can make your child’s mind soar as they get a taste of physics and engineering.

In this activity, students will have an opportunity to build a paper airplane and then make many changes to observe how the flight of the plane changes. Plus, all you’ll need is paper and a paper clip to have your little pilot ready for takeoff.

GATHER THIS:

• Scrap paper
• Paper clip (optional)

THEN DO THIS:

* Download the pdf to view illustrations.

• Crease a piece of paper in half lengthwise and then unfold.
• Fold the top two corners down to the middle fold.
• Fold the resulting triangle down.
• Crease the tip of the triangle up 1 inch and then unfold.
• Fold the top corners down to the center fold so that the corners meet at the base of the crease in the tip.
• Fold the creased tip up so that it overlaps the corners you just folded down.
• Fold the entire paper in half along the original fold so that the tip is on the outside of the folded paper.
• Fold the wings however you would like!
• Hold the paper plane near the tip between your finger and thumb and give the plane a toss! Try holding the plane differently and notice how the plane flies.
• Now design your own folded paper airplane!
• Notice what happens when you try throwing the paper plane hard/soft.
• Notice what happens when you try throwing the paper plane upside down.
• Notice what happens if you bend the back edge or tip of the wing up/down.
• Notice what happens if you add a paper clip to the nose of the paper plane.
• Notice what happens if you fold the wings unevenly.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

There are four forces that act on an object in flight: thrust, drag, lift and gravity. Thrust is what pushes the object forward. Thrust is produced from an engine, an animal wing using muscles to push through the air, or your arm muscles when you throw your paper airplane.

Drag works in the opposite direction of thrust. Drag pulls in the opposite direction of the thrust and is friction on the air, or air resistance.

Lift is the force that pulls or lifts an object up into the air. If the front edge of a wing is slightly raised compared to the back edge of a wing, the air will go slightly faster over the top of the wing and slightly slower over the bottom of the wing. Faster moving air has lower pressure and slower moving air has higher pressure. Lift is a combination of the slower moving air pushing the wing up and the faster moving air pulling the wing up.

Gravity pulls everything on Earth towards the center of the planet, in the opposite direction of lift.

Like this experiment? Explore more flight science with the CuriOdyssey Flight Science Kit in the CuriOdyssey Shop !

WHAT THIS TEACHES:

Themes: Engineering design process

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Last Modified: Jan 5, 2024 by Tara Gerner 6 Comments

Paper Airplane Science - An Experiment Designed and Tested by Your Kids

Paper Airplane Science

During my undergraduate education at Penn State, I learned that students learn best when they are in the driver's seat - when they are figuring out what to study, when they are designing the study, when they are identifying the problem and creating the experiment. This is not usually feasible in a public school setting, but in a homeschool, why not? It makes perfect sense.

In this experiment, the student is in control. After you teach her about the scientific method, give her the printable from this scientific method post or the printable below (they are basically the same, but the one below includes some follow up questions), and let her go.

If she has never had to design her own experiment before, your student may need help in coming up with her own hypothesis and experiment steps. If it's an unfamiliar process because you've always done recipe-style science before, she will need some hand-holding. 

Teaching the scientific method using the paper airplane lab (click here for printable lab)

Here are the basic steps with some tips:

• What airplane design will fly the furthest?
• What kind of material will help my paper airplane fly the furthest?
• What effect does weight have on a paper airplane?
• What kind of paper airplane will fly in a loop?
• Research the question. I personally wouldn't have your student look into other experiments and their results or try to answer their question, but I would have her research different paper airplane designs if that is a variable in her experiment. (Note - if her question is something like the last one above, she may have to do some research to find airplane designs that are supposed to make loops.)
• I think the (design name) airplane will fly the furthest.
• I think the airplane made of cardstock will fly furthest, and the airplane made of newspaper will fly the shortest.
• I think the lightest airplane will fly the furthest.
• I think the (design name) will fly in a loop.
• Create an experiment to test the hypothesis. Remind your student that she should do at least 3 trials for each step of her plan. Also, to avoid unnecessary error, she should make a concerted attempt to throw the airplane in exactly the same way each time. That is, throw it in the same place (inside or outside - careful of the wind), in the same conditions (wind or ceiling fan), and with the same strength (results wouldn't be valid if she threw one hard and one gently).
• Observe and analyze the results. Hypotheses that reference distance flown lend themselves very nicely to creating bar graphs. Graphing is an important mathy skill that is used frequently in science, so if you have the opportunity, do it! Look for patterns here - what defines flying the best? What do the results mean?
• If you did this experiment again, would you get the same results? Why or why not?
• Will someone else who follows your procedure get the same data? Why or why not?
• Besides weight, what factors affect the flight of a paper airplane?
• How else could you have designed the experiment to test this hypothesis?
• Which variables could you manipulate? Which were fixed?
• Did your data support or disprove the hypothesis? Explain.
• Why did we fly paper airplanes? (In other words, what did you learn from this activity?)
• Report your findings. I probably wouldn't ask my homeschooled kids to write a lab report (although, if they were in high school, it might be a useful skill in prepping for college), but I would certainly ask them to tell their dad over dinner all about the experiment. They designed it, created the hypothesis, and tested it all on their own, so they will probably be excited about talking it up. Plus, who doesn't like paper airplanes?

I love this paper airplane lab, and I did it with every new class I taught, always during the first week so that the kids could see some ownership of their scientific process and also so they could see how much fun science can be. Will you try it out at the beginning of the new school year?

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Reader Interactions

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Stephe Lubin says

September 09, 2018 at 10:07 am

I like the activity but really hate the political correctness. The proper pronouns when speaking of boys and girls is him.

Tara Ziegmont says

September 09, 2018 at 10:12 am

You do things your way, and I'll do them mine. I have only daughters, so when I think of a student, I think of HER.

shannon says

September 10, 2019 at 7:38 pm

I appreciate your pronouns and your lesson! Thank you. Using your idea to teach my 5th graders about the Scientific Method.

October 13, 2021 at 12:51 am

Wow what if someday your daughters identify as something other than her.

As a teacher I think it is our responsibility to be inclusive of all students and that means not using boys and girls any more.

Times are a changing.

missy susan smith says

July 12, 2022 at 1:29 pm

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September 17, 2023 at 12:38 pm

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Paper Airplane Experiment

The paper airplane experiment, as well as being great fun, is a chance for us to study something called 'The Laws of Aerodynamics'.

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When you throw a flimsy paper dart across a room, you might not realize that it follows the same laws of flight as a Jumbo Jet!

With just a few pieces of paper and a little patience, you can explore these laws and find out how a big piece of metal manages to stay in the air.

For this experiment, we are going to chose five different designs of plane. One place to look is www.paperairplanes.co.uk , for instructions on how to make these. You can use any design you like, as long as they are different and you don't use any scissors or tape to make them.

In the paper airplane experiment, we are going to test which designs fly the furthest. Some of the designs have a sharp point so do not throw them at anybody's face!

• Lots of copy paper to make your planes.
• Loads of space - if your school has a large gym or hall, then great. You can fly them outside but it must be on a day with no wind.
• A long tape measure - 50 or 100 meters long
• A chart to record your results in

• Make a chart to record your results, like in Figure 1.
• Next, make a lot of paper airplanes of each type. Take your time to make sure that the planes are as similar as possible. You should practice throwing each type to make sure that you are throwing with the same amount of force and speed.
• Do this five times for each type of plane and note the results on your chart.
• Try to use the same plane for all five throws, but if it gets damaged, use another.

You should work out an average distance flown for each type of plane in your paper airplane experiment.

However, we are going to use something called an adjusted average. Do not use the lowest and highest figures to work out your average, just the three in the middle. This is because; in an experiment like this, a gust of wind or a bad throw can make one or more of your results wrong. This is called an outlier-data .

After you have worked out the average for each, you can plot a bar chart and discuss the results with your class. Which planes flew the furthest? Why do you think they were the best fliers?

For some tips, please see the NASA site for some advice on the Laws of Aerodynamics.

There are many more experiments you can perform with paper airplanes. Maybe this is the first step on you journey to being an airplane engineer or designer!

Figure 1 - The distance flown by paper airplanes.

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Martyn Shuttleworth (Sep 21, 2008). Paper Airplane Experiment. Retrieved Aug 04, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/paper-airplane-experiment

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Paper Airplane Experiment

Kids love doing science instead of just reading about it. The PAPER AIRPLANE EXPERIMENT is perfectly paired with the study of the scientific method or even the history of flight! This experiment is inexpensive, accessible, and doesn’t make a mess! 

Paper airplanes are always a hit around my house! So, when creating an experiment for us to conduct that would allow the boys to practice the scientific method, this was a no-brainer! Our posing question was:

• Does the type of paper you use for a paper airplane change how far it will fly?

Don’t you appreciate an easy materials list! I do. All you will need is:

• Construction Paper
• Notebook Paper
• Computer Paper
• Printed out Lab Sheet

Paper Airplane Experiment Lab Sheets

The Paper Airplane Experiment Lab Sheets will guide you and your student through this fun hands-on scientific investigation. Walk through the experiment step-by-step using the 3-page student lab sheets . I didn’t forget about you teaching mommas (and dads), the teacher’s cheat sheet is also included in the download.  DOWNLOAD HERE . 

After collecting our materials and cutting our different types of paper to the right size, the boys made their airplanes. Now, one of my sons wanted to use his own design while another wanted me to print out the  Classic Dart design . Our favorite paper airplane book of all time is Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes Craft kit.

Once we had the airplanes ready to go, we sat, talked, and the boys answered the questions on their lab sheet. Each of them formed his hypothesis and as a group we discussed the variables in the experiment. If your student needs a review of variables, watch  The Scientific Method slideshow .

EXPERIMENT TIME!!! This is the fun part! It was a beautiful spring day. The only issue we ran into was a little wind. One of our airplanes flew backwards! All in the name of science! There are ten trials in this experiment, so your student will be flying his or her airplanes 10 times each and after each trial, record their data.  

After testing hypotheses, the boys shared their data and findings with each other. We all sat and discussed their results. I led them through a discussion about manipulated variables and if they could think of ways to improve the design of the experiment. In the end, we all had fun and I think they learned something too, which is always nice at the end of a school day. Happy learning!

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On the eleventh day of Christmas —

Experiments with paper airplanes reveal surprisingly complex aerodynamics, how these gliders keep level flight is different from the stability of airplanes..

Jennifer Ouellette - Jan 4, 2023 10:06 pm UTC

Drop a flat piece of paper and it will flutter and tumble through the air as it falls, but a well-fashioned paper airplane will glide smoothly. Although these structures look simple, their aerodynamics are surprisingly complex. Researchers at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences conducted a series of experiments involving paper airplanes to explore this transition and develop a mathematical model to predict flight stability, according to a March paper published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

“The study started with simple curiosity about what makes a good paper airplane and specifically what is needed for smooth gliding," said co-author Leif Ristroph . "Answering such basic questions ended up being far from child’s play. We discovered that the aerodynamics of how paper airplanes keep level flight is really very different from the stability of conventional airplanes.”

Nobody knows who invented the first paper airplane, but China began making paper on a large scale around 500 BCE, with the emergence of origami and paper-folding as a popular art form between 460 and 390 BCE. Paper airplanes have long been studied as a means of learning more about the aerodynamics of flight. For instance, Leonardo da Vinci famously built a model plane out of parchment while dreaming up flying machines and used paper models to test his design for an ornithopter. In the 19th century, British engineer and inventor Sir George Cayley —sometimes called the "father of aviation"—studied the gliding performance of paper airplanes to design a glider capable of carrying a human.

An amusing "scientist playing with paper planes" anecdote comes from physicist Theodore von Kármán . In his 1967 memoir The Wind and Beyond , he recalled a formal 1924 banquet in Delft, The Netherlands, where fellow physicist Ludwig Prandtl constructed a paper airplane out of a menu to demonstrate the mechanics of flight to von Kármán's sister, who was seated next to him. When he threw the paper plane, "It landed on the shirtfront of the French minister of education, much to the embarrassment of my sister and others at the banquet," von Kármán wrote.

While scientists have clearly made great strides in aerodynamics—particularly about aircraft—Ristroph et al . noted that there was not a good mathematical model for predicting the simpler, subtler gliding flight of paper airplanes. It was already well-known that displacing the center of mass results in various flight trajectories, some more stable than others. “The key criterion of a successful glider is that the center of mass must be in the ‘just right’ place,” said Ristroph . “Good paper airplanes achieve this with the front edge folded over several times or by an added paper clip, which requires a little trial and error.”

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Distance Experiment

If you want to find the paper airplane that flies the furthest, you'll need to experiment with different designs and carefully select your paper. let's figure out how to do this., table of contents.

One of the most common questions that people have about paper airplanes, is "Which one flies the furthest?" There is no definitive answer to this question because there are many variables that affect the outcome. For example, an adult throwing hard against the wind and a child throwing gently indoors are two very different scenarios and the paper airplane that flies the furthest may not be the same in both cases.

The next section will outline some of the variables that affect flight, and the rest of this article will teach you how to experiment to figure out which paper airplanes fly the furthest for your particular scenario.

Variables that Affect Paper Airplanes

There are many variables that affect how paper airplanes fly. Some of these can be intuitively understood, but some may require experimentation to reach a conclusion. Keep in mind that each paper airplane design is different and may require different variables to maximize it's performance.

• Paper Size - Does a large or small airplane fly further?
• Paper Thickness - Does the thickness of the paper matter?
• Height of Throw - An airplane thrown from higher up will likely go further.
• Strength of Throw - An airplane thrown harder may go further, unless you throw it too hard and make the wings deform.
• Angle of Throw - What is the optimum angle to throw the airplane? Straight ahead, 30°, 45°, or something else?
• Wind - Throwing with the wind may help and against the wind may hurt. Throwing at an angle to the wind may make your airplane tip or turn.
• Center of Mass - Do you want the center of mass to be towards the front or the rear?
• Symmetry - Accurate folds improve symmetry. How much does symmetry affect the performance?
• Crisp Folds - Do crisp folds work better than gentle folds?
• Altitude - Places with higher elevation have lower air pressure. Does this make a difference?

Paper Airplane Distance Experiment

When you are conducting an experiment like this, it's important to alter only one variable at a time while keeping the other variables unchanged. For example, if you want to determine the best angle at which to throw the airplane, you wouldn't want to have two different people throwing the airplanes, because at the end of the experiment you wouldn't know if it was the angle or the person throwing the airplane that made the difference. Eliminating all of the other variables can sometimes be difficult. We recommending using a large indoor area because this is a reliable way to eliminate wind as a variable.

Before you start your experiment, it's a good idea to come up with a hypothesis. This is a guess or prediction about what you think is going to happen. For example, if you are experimenting with the angle of throw, you might make the hypothesis that throwing the paper airplane at 45° is the optimum angle for maximizing distance. Your experiment will then prove or disprove your hypothesis.

You'll also need a way to measure large distances. A tape measure will work. You can also use a piece of string with knots or marks at regular intervals.

Now it's time to throw some paper airplanes! For whichever variable you are experimenting with, you should pick a few different values. Throw your paper airplanes multiple times at each value to get a range of distances that you can average. For example, if you are experimenting with the angle of throw, you could try throwing straight ahead (0°), slightly angled up (20°), more angled (45°), and at a steep angle (70°). We recommend taking at least five measurements for each different value.

Remember to carefully write down all of your measurements so you can analyze and graph it latter.

Analyzing Your Results

It's time to analyze the data and test your hypothesis. A nice way to do this is with a chart. Get a piece of graph paper and draw a blank chart with an x and y axis. The x-axis (horizontal) is going to be different values for the variable that you are experimenting with. The y-axis (vertical) is going to be the distance that each paper airplane flew. Mark each data point with a dot on the graph. For example, if a paper airplane was thrown at 20° and flew 40 feet, you would move along the x-axis to the 20° mark and then move up the y-axis to the 40 mark and draw your dot. Your graph may something like this. You can average the results for each value and draw a trend line.

If you collect more data, you can get a better picture of the trend. Collecting more data can mean making more throws at each point. This will make the average trend line more accurate. You can also collect more data by adding more values along the x-axis to test. Try some extreme values or try values in between two other values that have a big difference. This will increase the resolution of your graph.

If your graph looks like the one above, what conclusions can you make? It would appear that the values towards the middle performed better than the ones at the extremes. This means, that if you want to throw a paper airplane the furthest, you should use the middle value.

What if your graph had looked like the one below? This graph seems to show that there wasn't much difference in the distance that the airplane flew. The variable that you experimented with doesn't matter, at least in the way that you tested it. Maybe it would make a difference in another scenario.

Do your results confirm or disprove your hypothesis? If they confirm your prediction, then congratulations, you have an intuitive understanding of how that variable affects paper airplanes. If your results disprove your hypothesis, that's great! You just learned something new! Sometimes the best scientific experiments are the ones that have unexpected results.

There are many factors that can contribute to different results. If the experiment were repeated with different conditions, you could compare the results and perhaps reach a different conclusion and learn something else.

Each airplane design has unique aerodynamic properties. A different style of airplane may produce totally different results. You could repeat this experiment with a few different designs and see if you reach the same conclusion.

Congratulations! You just completed a paper airplane experiment!

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Which Paper Airplanes Work Best?

It is believed that gliders as well as paper kites may have started in Ancient Japan and China as both of these cultures have a long history of using paper objects for both fun and decoration.

During WWII, almost all materials were being used for the war efforts and were therefore rationed. It was during this time that toy paper planes became popular since there wasn’t any wood, plastic, or metal.

Paper Airplane Fun Facts:

If you wanted to test which type of paper airplane was the best, what would you want to consider? Would you use different types of paper? If so, would you use lightweight, smooth or even paper that might have a special coating? Would you change the way the paper was folded and therefore change the design?

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