Aerodynamics Experiment

Experiment
Problem
Hypothesis
Variables
Materials
Procedure
Analysis
Conclusion

Test Photos
Safety
AeroNavigation
Flying Car Photo Gallery

test plane 1

Problem: Flying cars are simply vehicles that have been engineered to fly with either shorter wingspans than the average airplane or with the lifting power of a helicopter. My experiment is designed to determine the shortest wingspan necessary on a vehicle to obtain flight.

Hypothesis: After having researched my topic, I have a prediction about what I think will happen in my experiment. My hypothesis is that cutting back the wingspan of the vehicle will prevent it from being able to obtain lift and fly.

Variables: Scientists design an experiment so that changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way. These are called variables. An experiment usually has three kinds: independent, dependent, and controlled.

The independent variable is the one that is changed by the scientist. In an experiment there is only one independent variable. In my experiment that independent variable is wingspan.

As the scientist changes the independent variable, he or she observes what happens.

The dependent variable changes in response to the change the scientist makes to the independent variable. The new value of the dependent variable is caused by and depends on the value of the independent variable. In my experiment, the dependent variable is the distance the plane flies.

Experiments also have controlled variables. Controlled variables are quantities that a scientist wants to stay the same. In my experiment the control variables are the starting point of flight, the boy of the plane, the battery pack, and the remote control.

Question	Independent Variable	Dependent Variables	Controlled Variables	Comments
How does the length of wingspan of a plane, affect the distance it can fly?	Length of wingspan being reduced by 2 cm at a time.	Distance the plane flies	Starting point of flight, body of the plane, battery pack, and remote control.	Possible sources of error include human error, inaccuracy in measuring distance, not accounting for the wind factor and not measuring the level of battery charge each time. I reccomend repeating this experiment multiple times for better accuracy.

Materials

            - remote control model airplane with styrofoam body and removable propellors
            - duct tape
            - scissors
            - measuring tape that measures in meters
            - screwdriver
            - graph paper to chart results
            - pencil and eraser
            - chalk

Test Plane

Procedure:
    1. Get all the materials together and bring them to a large open space that is free of overhead wires.
    2. Measure the wingspan of the airplane and test the plane to make sure it is fully charged
    3. Record the length of the wingspan in centimeters (cm) on your paper
    4. Mark the starting line for takeoff in chalk on the grass. View test images.
    5. Start the propellors and release the airplane
    6. Record where it lands and measure this with your measuring tape, in meters
    7. Retrieve the plane and measure 1 cm from each wingtip, mark this line.
    8. Cut the wings back along this line.
    9. Remeasure the wings and record the new wingspan.
   10. Repeat steps 4-9 exactly as before and continue until you can no longer cut back the wings or until the plane no longer flies.
   11. Assess results based on your original hypothesis

Analysis of results:
The wingspan does have a direct influence on the flight distance, but not as much as I expected. I did expect the flight distance to go down as the wingspan became shorter. I did not expect the vehicle to fly at all once I had reduced the wingspan to nomore than 2 cm beyond the body of the plane on either side. The vehicle flew 11 meters even with a shortened wingspan of only 39 cm.

Possible sources of error include inaccuracy in measuring distance, not accounting for the wind factor and not measuring the level of battery charge each time.

Conclusion and Summary:
Based on the data collected in my experiment it appears that an airplane could fly with a reduced wingspan. It is my theory, that with the engineering and technological advances today, the development of a flying car that will be mass produced is soon to become a reality. My experiment used a model airplane to test the effect of wingspan on flight distance. Modern patented flying cars have improved the propellor system by incorporating multiple rotary engines and a lighter, sleeker vehicle body. It is almost certain that if a model, wingless airplane could maintain flight, than the developers of modern flying cars definitely have a chance at success.

*Research for how to write a hypothesis and decide on variables is from: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_variables.shtml