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attachment: mainPhoto attachment:Airplane02-400.jpg
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Insert succinct description of demonstration. A model airplane is used to demonstrate the principles of lift and air drag. It can also be used in the discussion of airfoils.
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||apparatus||[:MechanicsCabinetBayB1: ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2]|| ||
||all other parts||[:MechanicsCabinetBayB1: ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2]|| ||
||...||[:MechanicsCabinetBayA5: ME, Bay A5, Shelf #2]|| ||		 ||Styrofoam Airplane||[:FluidMechanicsCabinet: FM, Bay B6, Shelf #1]|| ||
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 * ''''' '''''  * '''''The airplanes are fragile! Handle with care.'''''
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 1. List steps for setup then procedure.
 1. ...		  1. If necessary, assemble the airplane as shown.
 1. The Air Hogs model has two settings for the tail wing. Both are shown in the photos below. A flat orientation will make the plane fly straight while the angled orientation will cause it to fly a loop-the-loop. Choose a setting.
 1. Grab the plane by the under belly of the "fuselage." Hold it above your head, thrust your arm forward (keeping the plane level), and release.
 1. Repeat if desired.
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 *  * Don't fly the plane into the audience. It could injure someone.
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The airplane is able to stay up in there because there is a force upward on the airplane that balances the weight force due to gravity. We call this force lift. We generate lift with airfoils. These are typically designed so that air flows faster over the top of the wing than the bottom of the wing. Bernoulli's principle tells us that, since the total energy of the air as it flows over the wing should remain constant, there is a pressure difference between the air on the top wing and the air on the bottom wing. This is because, according to this principle, the more the fluid (air) speeds up, the more the pressure in the fluid is decreased. Thus, the net force due to the air (the product of the air pressure and the surface area of the wing) is in an upward direction.
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Discuss the physics behind the demonstration, explaining some of the various steps of the demonstration when appropriate. There is also air drag acting on the airplane. This is due to the fact that the front of the airplane is crashing into air molecules causing a change in momentum (force) of the air craft in a negative direction of its travel. We call it drag because it drags the airplane backward, counteracting the thrust of its engines.
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||attachment: photo||attachment: photo||attachment: photo||attachment: photo|| The tail wing allows the airplane to climb by changing the angle of inclination relative to horizontal. What this amounts to is a torque on the plane causing it to climb or descend.

||attachment:Airplane03-250.jpg||attachment:Airplane01-250.jpg||attachment:Airplane04-250.jpg||attachment:Airplane05-250.jpg||
||attachment:Airplane06-250.jpg||attachment:Airplane07-250.jpg||attachment:Airplane08-250.jpg||
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 * List any references  * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift_%28force%29 Wikipedia - Lift]

[:PiraScheme#Mechanics: Table of Mechanics Demonstration]

[:MEEquipmentList: List of Mechanics Equipment & Supplies]

[:Demonstrations:Lecture Demonstrations]

Styrofoam Airplane, 2C20.59

Topic and Concept:

Location:

attachment:Airplane02-400.jpg

Abstract:

A model airplane is used to demonstrate the principles of lift and air drag. It can also be used in the discussion of airfoils.

Equipment

Location

ID Number

Styrofoam Airplane

[:FluidMechanicsCabinet: FM, Bay B6, Shelf #1]

Important Setup Notes:

  • The airplanes are fragile! Handle with care.

Setup and Procedure:

  1. If necessary, assemble the airplane as shown.
  2. The Air Hogs model has two settings for the tail wing. Both are shown in the photos below. A flat orientation will make the plane fly straight while the angled orientation will cause it to fly a loop-the-loop. Choose a setting.
  3. Grab the plane by the under belly of the "fuselage." Hold it above your head, thrust your arm forward (keeping the plane level), and release.
  4. Repeat if desired.

Cautions, Warnings, or Safety Concerns:

  • Don't fly the plane into the audience. It could injure someone.

Discussion: The airplane is able to stay up in there because there is a force upward on the airplane that balances the weight force due to gravity. We call this force lift. We generate lift with airfoils. These are typically designed so that air flows faster over the top of the wing than the bottom of the wing. Bernoulli's principle tells us that, since the total energy of the air as it flows over the wing should remain constant, there is a pressure difference between the air on the top wing and the air on the bottom wing. This is because, according to this principle, the more the fluid (air) speeds up, the more the pressure in the fluid is decreased. Thus, the net force due to the air (the product of the air pressure and the surface area of the wing) is in an upward direction.

There is also air drag acting on the airplane. This is due to the fact that the front of the airplane is crashing into air molecules causing a change in momentum (force) of the air craft in a negative direction of its travel. We call it drag because it drags the airplane backward, counteracting the thrust of its engines.

The tail wing allows the airplane to climb by changing the angle of inclination relative to horizontal. What this amounts to is a torque on the plane causing it to climb or descend.

attachment:Airplane03-250.jpg

attachment:Airplane01-250.jpg

attachment:Airplane04-250.jpg

attachment:Airplane05-250.jpg

attachment:Airplane06-250.jpg

attachment:Airplane07-250.jpg

attachment:Airplane08-250.jpg

Videos:

References:

[:Instructional:Home]

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