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(Level 1) Answers

  1. What is the area of the Wright Brother's rectangular planform?
    A rectangle with two sides measuring 40 feet and two sides measuring six feet
  2. Step 1: base = 6 ft.; height = 40 ft.

    Step 2: area of rectangle = b x h = 240 ft.2

     

  3. What is the area of the F-18 (Blue Angels) trapezoidal planform?
    A trapesoid with top side measuring six feet, right side measuring fifteen feet, and bottom side measuring thirteen feet

    Step 1: height = 15 ft.; base 1 = 13 ft.; base 2 = 6 ft.

    Step 2: area of trapezoid = ( h / 2 )( b1 + b2 ) = 142.5 ft.2

  4. What is the area of the Concorde triangular planform? (Note: These are not the actual dimensions.)
    A triangle with it's right side measuring twenty-five feet and bottom side measuring fifty feet
  5. Step 1: base = 50 ft.; height = 25 ft.

    Step 2: area of triangle = ( 1 / 2 ) x b x h = 625 ft.2

     

  6. What is the area of the Space Shuttle's compound planform? (Note: These are not the actual dimensions.)
    A compound planform with it's top side measuring nine feet, right side measuring thirty-one feet, bottom side measuring fourty feet, it's left side is in two sections: the first measures fifteen feet, the second measures twenty-nine-point six feet. There is a thirty degree inside angle between the bottom side and the first left section.

    Step 1: Divide the shape into three regions. From left to right, they are a triangle, trapezoid, and rectangle.

    Step 2: Region 1: base = 13 ft.; height = 7.5 ft. (Calculate the area of this triangle.)

    1. Region 2: height = 18 ft.; base1 = 31 ft.; base2 = 7.5 ft. (Calculate the area of this trapezoid.)

      Region 3: base = 9 ft; height = 31 ft (Calculate the area of this rectangle.)

    Step 3: Add the areas of the three regions. Total area = 674.3 ft.2

     

  7. What is the area of the Boeing 747 trapezoidal planform? (Note: These are not the actual dimensions. The trapezoidal planform cannot be divided into two right triangles. Hint: Divide the figure into two scalene triangles and compute their areas.)
    A trapezoid with it's top side measuring twenty five feet, right side mesuring seventy-nine-point three feet, it's bottom side measuring fifty-six feet, right side measuring ninety-one-point eight feet. It has a height ofseventy-seven feet.

    Step 1: Divide the shape into three regions. From left to right, they are a triangle, rectangle, and triangle.

    The height of the first triangle is a straight line drawn down from the upper left-hand corner of the shape.

    The height of the second triangle is a straight line drawn up from the bottom right-hand corner of the shape.

    Step 2: Region 1: base = 50 ft. , height = 77 ft. (Calculate the area of this triangle.)

    Region 2: base = 6 ft. , height = 77 ft. (Calculate the area of this rectangle.)

    Region 3: base = 19 ft , height = 77 ft (Calculate the area of this triangle.)

    Step 3: Add the areas of the three regions. Total area = 3118.5 ft.2

  8. Which of the wings has the largest area?

     Boeing 747

  9. Which of the wings has the smallest area? 

     F18

  10. Design your own wing including its dimensions.

     Answers will vary.

  11. What is the area of your airplane's planform?

     Answers will vary.

  12. Explain why you designed your planform the way you did.

     Answers will vary.

  13. List the wing types in order from the largest area to the smallest, including your own wing design.

     Answers will vary
Please send any comments to:
Curator: Tom.Benson@grc.nasa.gov
Responsible Official: Kathy.Zona@grc.nasa.gov