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-----Original Message-----Explorer
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Donald Polvani
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 3:26 PM
To: 'Forum for Physics Educators'
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] hands-on aerodynamics
Just tried to print out the design using Outlook 2007, and Internet
9 for the cited URL on my HP 932C printer in color. I got the bottom halfof
the design (with red and black lines) but not the top red triangle. Onthe top
half the black words printed and the black dashed line labeled "5"rather a
also printed out, but none of the red lines.
Is this my printer or something else?
Don
Dr. Donald Polvani
AACC Community College
Arnold, MD 21012
-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
[mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of John
Denker
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 2:18 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: [Phys-l] hands-on aerodynamics
Hi --
Since there has been some interest in aerodynamics....
There are good paper airplanes and not-so-good paper airplanes.
Experimenting with good ones can teach a lot about physics in general and
aerodynamics in particular.
Here is a good "baseline" design:
http://www.av8n.com/fly/pdf/paper-glider.pdf
This is not supposed to be the be-all-and-end-all greatest design, but
tradeoff between simplicity and good performance.quite
Note that some of the folds are tight 180-degree folds, while others are
open, closer to 90 degrees, giving the overall aircraft something of a "W"pocket
shape. Also note a bit of clever origami technology: fold #5 creates a
that /captures/ the points that were folded onto location "O" by step #4.the
You can trim the flight characteristics by putting very slight bends in
trailing edge.much.
After you've made one or two of these, you won't need the instructions
anymore. In some locales, every 2nd-grader knows how to make such a
thing from a blank sheet of paper, freehand. In other locales, not so
original
I am aware that most printers cannot bleed all the way to the edge of the
paper. There is nothing /important/ within
1/2 inch of any edge in the instructions.
Note that these things have been known to "escape" from the physics
classroom into other classrooms where they might not be entirely welcome.
Students should be reminded that this is not a particularly brilliant or
idea.effectively
============
Things get interesting when you take this design as a starting point for
exploratory experimentation.
-- Optimize it for slowest airspeed
-- Optimize it for best lift-to-drag ratio
-- Optimize it to fly upside down
-- Have a contest for maximum distance after flying over
one barrier and /under/ another. This requires both good
design and good technique.(*)
-- et cetera
(*) Note that without the barrier, the winning design would be a wadded-up
piece of paper. This is an artifact that arises because there is
unlimited initial energy.the
You want to set up the contest rules to reward some semblance of energy
efficiency.
==========================================
As a separate exercise, get an ordinary low-cost balsa-wood glider from
store, and re-arrange the parts to create a /canard/-type aircraft, i.e.with
the main wing in the rear.you
Of course we want nice, steady, stable flight.
This task is either very easy or very hard, depending on whether or not
understand the physics._______________________________________________
Hint: http://www.av8n.com/how/htm/aoastab.html
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l