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Builder's Lab / Week 05 / Tuesday
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Week 05 · Fly Far

Tuesday

Four forces of flight
// A paper airplane that flies 10 feet
⏱ about 20 min

Tuesday: Four Forces of Flight

Raven holds up a paper plane in the lab.

"What do you notice when it flies?" she asks.

Rocket thinks. "It goes forward, then down."

Nova projects four glowing arrows around the plane.

"Interesting! Four pushes and pulls are working at once," Nova says.

The four forces

A force is a push or a pull.

Four forces act on a flying plane.

ForceWhich wayFor a paper plane
ThrustForwardYour throw pushes it
DragBackwardAir pushes back on it
LiftUpThe wings help hold it up
WeightDownGravity pulls it down

Drag pushes against thrust and slows the plane.

Lift works against weight and keeps the plane up.

NAME THE FORCE
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Your arm throws the plane. Which force is that?
Gravity pulls the plane down. Which force is that?
Air pushes back and slows the plane. Which force is that?
MATCH THE ARROWS
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
1Forward
2Backward
3Up
4Down
Think about it
Which force do you control when you throw?
Which force could a paper clip on the nose change?

Forces in pairs

The four forces come in two pairs.

Thrust and drag pull against each other.

Lift and weight pull against each other.

For the plane to go forward, thrust must beat drag.

FORCE PAIRS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which force works against thrust?
Which force works against weight?
The wings help make which force?
What is a force?
ForceTrue or false?
Weight pulls the plane down.?
Drag pushes the plane forward.?
Thrust comes from your throw.?
Lift points down to the floor.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEKnowing each force helps you plan a better plane.
Try it
Hold a flat sheet of paper up high. Let it go.
Crumple a second sheet into a ball. Let it go.
Which one falls faster? Air pushes back more on the flat sheet.
Safety first
Drop the paper from where you stand.
Do not climb to drop it higher.
PairTrue or false?
Drag works against thrust.?
Lift works against weight.?
Thrust and weight point the same way.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEach force has a partner that pulls the other way.

You know the four forces!

Tomorrow, we fold and fly version 1.

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