11/18/2023 0 Comments Air dragUnlike other resistive forces, such as dry friction, which are nearly independent of velocity, the drag force depends on velocity. This can exist between two fluid layers (or surfaces) or between a fluid and a solid surface. Figure 1 below shows how all four of these forces, thrust, lift, drag, and weight, act upon a paper plane.In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called fluid resistance) is a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid. Weight is the force of Earth's gravity acting on the paper plane. Finally, the weight of the paper plane affects its flight and brings it to a landing. The force of the air pushing your hand back as you move forward is drag. To think about drag, imagine you are in a moving car and you put your hand outside of the window. As a paper plane moves through the air, the air pushes against the plane, slowing it down. If the paper plane has enough thrust and the wings are properly designed, the plane will have a nice long flight.īut there is more than lack of thrust and poor wing design that gets a paper plane to come back to Earth. While the plane is flying forward, air is moving over and under the wings and is providing a force called lift to the plane. That push is a type of force called thrust. When you throw a paper plane in the air, you are giving the plane a push to move forward. A force is something that pushes or pulls on something else. These same forces apply to real airplanes, too. Watching it float and glide in the air gives you a very satisfying and happy feeling.īut what allows the paper plane to glide through the air? And why does a paper plane finally land? To find out, we will talk about the science behind flying a paper plane and the different forces that get a paper plane to fly and land. Just fold a piece of paper into a simple plane and send it soaring into the sky with a flick of your wrist. Paper airplanes are fun and easy to make. Altering how just one force acts upon a paper plane can clearly change how well that plane flies. This is what happened to the modified plane - it experienced a greater amount of drag, which pushed it back more than the original plane. You could probably feel this, as your hand would be more forcefully pushed back as the car moves forward. When your hand is held out vertically, it catches a greater amount of air and experiences a greater amount of drag than when your hand is horizontal. For example, this is what happens when you are in a moving car with your hand out the window and change your hand from being horizontal to being vertical. In this activity, you increased how much drag acted upon the paper plane by making a one inch-high vertical strip on both wings. The force of the air pushing your hand back as you move forward is drag, also sometimes called air resistance. To think about drag, imagine you are in a moving car and you put your hand out the window. How far does the paper plane fly now compared to before? Why do you think this is, and how does it have to do with drag?Īs a paper plane moves through the air, the air pushes against the plane, slowing it down.
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