Forces of Gravity on Helicopters' Flight

Big Idea: How force of gravity can work on an object such as a helicopter? What is the force of gravity on a helicopter?     

Focus question: How does the force of gravity affect the flight of the helicopter?

Prediction: 

·        If the helicopter does not spin really fast, then the force of gravity will pull it down.

·        If the blades spin really fast, it will keep the helicopter in the air.

·        If the helicopter is higher off the ground, it will be more difficult for the force of gravity to pull it down.

Planning: 

Materials:  helicopter template, scissors, paper clips, chair, journal, pencil

First, we used our templates to make a paper helicopter. Cut a slit in the middle on each side. Fold one side toward each other from the slits. Then, fold a portion of the piece above it to create a T-shape for the leg. On the side not folded cut down the middle until the folded top of the T-shape for the rotor blades. Next, use the paper clips to add weights to your paper airplane. Then, perform three tests to experiment how the force of gravity affects the flight of your helicopter considering the following variables:  number of paper clips, size of rotors, height, and standing-proximity. Finally, record data for each test including what worked and what did not.

 Data:

	Number of paper clips	Size of Rotors	Height	Standing-Proximity	What Happened?
Test 1	2- 1 on each rotor	Normal length	Adult height from floor	Bent arm-length	Fell quickly-didn’t work
Test 2	4-2 on each rotor	Same length	Stood on chair	Held out arm-length and forced a spin	Spun longer before falling to ground
Test 3	6-2 on each rotor and 2 on leg (1 toward top & 1 toward bottom to balance)	Same length	Stood on chair on tippy toes	Held out arm-length and forced a spin	Spun even longer and faster before falling to ground

Claims and evidence:

I claim that the number of clips, height and standing proximity affect the flight of a helicopter relative to the force of gravity. We know this because the higher the height changed the number of spins. Adding weight using the paper clips changed the force of the spin and kept it spinning longer before hitting the ground. When holding the paper plane as far out as I could before dropping it, it spun faster and longer than holding it closer in proximity to myself. I claim that if the helicopter does not spin really fast, then the force of gravity will pull it down. I know this because when the helicopter had less spins, it fell to the ground faster. I claim that if the blades spin really fast, it will keep the helicopter in the air. I know this because I observed it happen opposed to win the blades spun less it fell to the ground. I claim that if the helicopter is higher off the ground, it will be more difficult for the force of gravity to pull it down. I know this because it took longer to fall to the ground when holding it from higher distances (i.e., standing on the chair and then on tippy toes on the chair) than when standing on the ground. Therefore, my predictions proved to be correct.

Conclusion:

I learned that gravity, height, and weight affect the flight of a helicopter. I learned that the higher the height changed the number of spins. This affirmed my prediction that if the helicopter does not spin really fast, then the force of gravity will pull it down. This also affirmed my prediction that if the blades spin really fast, it will keep the helicopter in the air. I learned that when a helicopter is lower to the ground the effect on the force of gravity has a greater effect on the flight of the helicopter. This affirmed my prediction that a helicopter is higher off the ground will be more difficult for the force of gravity to pull it down, hence will spin longer in the air.

Reflection/ Questions:

I learned that gravity, height, and weight affect the flight of a helicopter.

·       How much do helicopter blades have to weigh relative to the body of the helicopter to lessen the force of gravity and its effect on the flight of the helicopter?

·       How fast do helicopters actually have to spin to fly in the air?

Literacy Connections:

Helicopters by Emily Bone and Staz Johnson

Helicopters (The story of flight, 12) by Ole Steen Hansen

Helicopters on the move (Lightning bolt books TM-vroom-vroom) by Jeffrey Zuehlke