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Paper Helicopter Forces Investigation

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Paper Helicopter Forces Investigation

A paper helicopter spins as it falls. Use the investigation notes and results below to explain how forces and design affect its motion. Assume each test starts from the same height and is repeated three times.

Forces and motion

As the helicopter falls, gravity pulls it down. Air resistance acts upwards against its motion. The blades push on the air as they turn, and the air pushes back on the blades. When the forces are balanced, the helicopter falls at a steady speed called terminal speed.

1.Which force pulls a paper helicopter towards the ground after it is released?

Gravity
Air resistance
Magnetism
Upthrust

2.While the helicopter is moving downwards, which way does air resistance act?

Downwards, in the direction of motion
Upwards, against the direction of motion
Sideways, towards the nearest wall
It does not act on a falling helicopter

3.True or false: If the helicopter reaches terminal speed, the downward force of gravity and the upward force of air resistance are balanced.

TrueFalse

4.Explain why the helicopter’s blades make it spin instead of simply falling straight down.

Investigate the design

A class tested three designs by dropping each from 2.0 m. They changed only the feature named in each row. Times are the mean of three drops. Treat the results as fair-test data, while remembering that repeated trials can still vary.

Design

What changed?

Mean fall time (s)

A: Standard

No change

2.4

B: Wider blades

Blade width increased

3.1

C: Paper clip

One small clip added

1.8

5.Using the results, which design took the longest time to fall?

6.How much longer did Design B take to fall than the standard Design A? Show the subtraction and include the unit.

7.Which design fell fastest, based on the mean times? Give its time and explain how you know.

8.Suggest why adding a paper clip might make the helicopter fall faster. Use the ideas of weight, gravity and air resistance.

9.The class wants to find out whether blade width affects fall time. Name two things, other than blade width, that should be kept the same for a fair test.

10.Complete the energy change for a helicopter released from a raised position: gravitational potential energy changes mainly into energy as it falls. Some energy is also transferred to sound and heating the air.

11.Based on the data, recommend one design feature for a helicopter that should stay in the air longer. Explain your recommendation using the results and air resistance.