The Scientific Method and Paper Airplanes
For this project, we were to design and create a paper airplane that would succeed in destroying the mighty enemies' ship in a Star Wars-like mission. (It was hypothetical.) Once we tested and experimented with our designs, we were to write a letter addressed to mission leader Mon Mothma on why or if our designs were successful and the process behind how we came up with those measures. In groups of 4, we tested our paper airplanes on either distance, precision and accuracy, or time. My group set out a target from 510 centimeters away, and saw which one would be the most successful in coming close to it. As you will find in my letter below, Hanna's paper airplane model was the best all-around, which is the one my group highlighted in our letters to Mon Mothma as the one to choose. My model was certainly unique, but it wasn't as effective or efficient as Hanna's.
During this project, I really learned a lot about the concept of making conclusions, and to take data and make both generalizations and observations about the information. Science is all about taking what you know and predicting what will or would happen next if the experiment were to continue. This project was a great introduction to the scientific process, and I grew in that area. I became more knowledgeable on how to put together a scientific report, and how to compile data in a clear, concise manner. In addition, I learned about how to find the most effective component of an experiment, and how to make conclusions about which test subject performed the best under the conditions set. To follow up on the activity, I think it would be interesting if everyone had to make the exact same model, and we had to identify differences and similarities in the data. If the experiment was designed like this, we as a class could try to find the small features on specific airplane models that made them faster, more accurate, or more efficient than the others. |
Below, you will find the letter that I wrote to Mon Mothma, and to your right you will see a slideshow of all of the images relevant to this project. You can also find these images on my letter, along with a few more data points.
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