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Learning Experience/Unit

Introduction to Flight: A Math, Science and Technology Integrated Project

Subject

Math, Science & Technology

Grade Levels

Intermediate, 7th Grade

Assessment

Rubric - 1

Rubric - 2

Learning Context/ Introduction

The airplane has had a profound effect on world history. Look at how wars have been fought since the invention of the flying machine. The world has shrunk and communications are instant, thanks to airplanes and aerospace developments. What does the future have in store? Could Star Trek become a reality? These are fertile areas for investigation along with ecological and social issues. Topics like these, and others, could be studied in a broad school curriculum.

To succeed in this activity, students should be able to do the following:

Measure using both the English and metric systems.
Carry out appropriate math computations.
Graph coordinates.
Prepare and enter data into a computer spreadsheet.
Follow directions.
Work with scientific apparatus.
Use appropriate tools and machines.
Communicate ideas.
Work cooperatively.
Work independently.
Work safely.

Materials

The following is a list of supplies and equipment that are required to carry out this activity, but may not be commonly available in many middle schools.

One - Basic Wind I tunnel, Kelvin Catalog #840580 - $345.00
One - Strain Gauge and Data Acquisition Interface (lBM), Kelvin Catalog #840471
Two - Analog Wind Speed Meter, Kelvin Catalog #720101 - $59.00 each
Twenty - French Curves, various suppliers - $4.00 each
Supply of balsa wood for wing spars and ribs
Digital scale, various suppliers (Prices vary according to kind, quality and accuracy.)
Flight stanchion (can be made by staff or purchased through Kelvin Electronics)

Assessment

After testing, students can use spreadsheets to analyze and chart the results. With this data, they design and plot the airfoil for the model airplane. The new airfoil design and model airplane are constructed in the technology lab. After construction is completed, the models are tested and modified to achieve the best possible flight.

As an additional highlight, the models, after final modifications have been made, are entered in a fly-off. The goal is to fly the highest and/or fastest using the flight stanchion. As closure, the activity is analyzed and reviewed in the various subject areas to have the students explain what they have learned, their reactions to the activity, and suggestions for the future.

Student Work

Selected Examples:

Reflections

Integrated activities allow students to understand that subjects are not isolated and that math, science, and reading and writing skills are as important in technology as technology is, directly or indirectly, in those areas.

As with all learning activities, this one will benefit from modification through practice and development. The needs of all learners will be better met if they are taken through the activity in an organized fashion, allowing the faster students to do tasks at their own pace and yet not pulling too far ahead of slower students. Keeping the students on task can prevent boredom on the one hand and feelings of inferiority on the other.

This activity utilizes integration and has students apply theory to practice and do hands-on work as they solve problems and construct a working model.

Students enjoy this activity and have an opportunity to apply, in a practical manner, what they learn in school. They employ skills from various subject areas and use technical and engineering concepts to reinforce or prove principles and theories that they learn about, rather than just accept them as being true.

Authors

Ernest R. Ruiz, Tom Salemi
John Glaessgeh, Ann Denise Engellis
Rita T. Scher, James P. Vitello
Smithtown Middle School
Smithtown Central School District
St. James, NY 11780

Source

Engellis, Ann Denise, Ernest R. Ruiz, Tom Salemi, John Glaessgeh, Rita T. Scher, and James P. Vitello. "Introduction to Flight." Mathematics, Science and Technology Resource Guide Part II.8. New York State Education Department, 2-11.

Procedure

To initiate the program, the students are given the problem statement (see Problem Statement link below) which clearly defines the problem and states the parameters that the students must consider in seeking a solution. To help them understand the task, the steps in problem solving are reviewed. These activities can be presented in either, or all, of the subject areas.

Under the tutelage of the math instructor, the students go over graphing procedures and the locating of points using x and y coordinates. This information is then used to plot the profiles of various airfoils using coordinates given by the instructor. Using French curves, students connect the points in order and the end result is a wing or airfoil profile. Coordinates for the wing profiles are prepared beforehand. They are designed to show relative lift possibilities and in some cases negative lift or no lift at all. The next step, again under the tutelage of the math instructor, is to calculate the areas of the top and bottom surfaces of the airfoil (In most instances they are not symmetrical.) for a wing cross-section three inches in length. At this point, a paper mockup of the three-inch cross section could be made to show in three dimensions the surfaces of the wings, or to help calculate the surface areas. Students need to keep a record of the information they have gathered relating to the shape and surface areas of the wings. This data will be useful later in understanding lift and Bernoulli’s Principle.

In technology, the students construct a test model of the airfoil that they had planned earlier. In preparation for this portion of the activity, safety information and the use of appropriate tools must be presented. After the airfoil models are completed, they are tested for lift and air flow properties in a wind tunnel. The data collected from these tests is used to study and reinforce Bernoulli’s Principle. Further, this data is studied by students to determine what qualities they would consider in designing wings for their model plane. Science and technology teachers guide students through these steps.

After testing, students can use spreadsheets to analyze and chart the results. With this data, they design and plot the airfoil for the model airplane. The new airfoil design and model airplane are constructed in the technology lab. After construction is completed, the models are tested and modified to achieve the best possible flight.

As an additional highlight, the models, after final modifications have been made, are entered in a fly-off. The goal is to fly the highest and/or fastest using the flight stanchion. As closure, the activity is analyzed and reviewed in the various subject areas to have the students explain what they have learned, their reactions to the activity, and suggestions for the future.

Problem Statement