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Thrust: An Incredible Force |
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Thrust: An Incredible Force |
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The Problem/Question
How will adding various amounts of weight and varying the angle of the wings
on an airplane affect how far the
plane is propelled backward by a "head wind"?
The Hypothesis
If it is true that the angle of an airplane's wings is related to how far the
airplane will travel, then an airplane with its wings mounted at the highest
angle relative to the horizontal axis will be propelled backwards the furthest
(in this experiment, 40 degrees).
If it is true that added weight is related to how far the airplane will travel,
then an airplane carrying the least amount of added weight will be propelled
backwards the furthest (in this experiment, 0 gram of added weight). I think
this because, this angle has the most surface area exposed to the fan out of
my five wing angle variables. The more wing surface area exposed to the fan,
the further the plane should be pushed backwards because there is more resistance
to the "headwind". Also, the less weight the airplane carries, the
further it should move, as a lighter plane provides less resistance to the "head
wind" then does a heavier plane.
Methods
Control Group: Wings Mounted at 0 degree (to the horizontal) with no added weight.
Experimental Groups:
Wing angles: 0 degree, 10 degrees, 20 degrees, 30 degrees, and 40 degrees to
the horizontal.
Added weight: 0 gram, 14.2 grams, 28.3 grams, and 42.5 grams.
Procedure
1. Build a wind tunnel, an airplane with wheels and set up a table to prepare
for the experiment.
2. Mount the wings on the airplane at the various specified angles and put the
various specified amounts of weight on the body of the plane.
3. Place the airplane in the wind tunnel with the nose of the plane facing the
fan (head wind) and then energize the fan.
4. Record how far the airplane travels backwards in centimetres (to the nearest
0.5 cm).
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until all specified wing angles have been tried with all
the weight variables. (15 trials for all wing angles with or without weights
added)
Results
The results were as predicted. The more weight that was added on, the less distance
the airplane traveled. The larger the angle to the horizontal the airplane?s
wings were mounted at, the further the airplane traveled.
Conclusion
My original hypothesis was correct; when the airplane?s wings were at 40 degrees
to the horizontal axis and there was no added weight, the airplane traveled
the furthest, up to 103 cm! Conversely when the wings were horizontal and the
airplane carried the heaviest weight (42.5 g.) it traveled the shortest distance
(as low as 12.5 cm!). In conclusion, the less the airplane weighed and the larger
the surface area of the wing that was exposed to the fan, the further the airplane
traveled.