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Paper Plane Flight Forces

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Paper Plane Flight Forces

Paper Plane Flight Forces

Paper plane flying through the air showing flight forces

✈️ Part 1: Understanding Flight Forces

1. Circle the FOUR main forces that act on a flying paper plane:

Lift

Speed

Thrust

Colour

Drag

Gravity

Weight

2. Match each force with its correct description:
1. Lift
2. Thrust
3. Drag
4. Gravity
A. Air resistance that slows the plane down
B. Force that pushes the plane upwards
C. Force that pulls the plane downwards
D. Force that moves the plane forward

🔬 Part 2: Force Direction and Effects

3. Draw arrows on the paper plane below to show the direction of each force:

Label each arrow with: Lift, Thrust, Drag, or Gravity

4. Which force is created when you throw the paper plane?

Lift

Thrust

Drag

Gravity

5. What happens to a paper plane when gravity is stronger than lift?

📏 Part 3: Paper Plane Testing Results

6. Record your paper plane test results:

Flight 1 distance: _______ metres

Flight 2 distance: _______ metres

Flight 3 distance: _______ metres

Average distance: _______ metres

7. Describe what happened during your best flight:
8. Which design features helped your plane fly well? Tick all that apply:

Sharp, pointed nose

Straight, even wings

Good balance

Smooth folding

Right amount of weight

🤔 Part 4: Thinking About Forces

9. Fill in the blanks using the words: lift, drag, thrust, gravity

When I throw my paper plane, I give it _____________ to move forward. The air flowing over the wings creates _____________ to keep it up. However, _____________ pulls it down towards the ground, and _____________ from the air slows it down.

10. How could you increase the thrust of your paper plane?

Throw it harder

Make it heavier

Make the wings smaller

Throw it more gently

11. Explain why some paper planes fly further than others:
12. Design challenge: Draw and describe a new paper plane design that would reduce drag:

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