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Beginner's Guide to Propulsion & RangeGames
Thrust to Weight Ratio
Activiy
If so instructed by your teacher, print out a worksheet page for these problems.

After reading the Web page Thrust to Weight Ratio, complete the activity to answer the following questions.


1. What determines the weight of an airplane?

2. What determines the thrust of an airplane?

3. The thrust to weight ratio indicates how efficient ______________________ is.

4. According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, the higher an airplane's thrust to weight ratio is, the higher its ___________________, its __________________, and its_________________________.

5. Which plane would you expect to be able to climb faster, a fighter plane or an airliner?

6. Based on the previous question, which plane must have the higher thrust to weight ratio, the fighter plane or the airliner?

Open RangeGames and use it to answer the following questions.

Set the "Mode" to Play, "Units" to Metric and "Aircraft" to Exec Jet. Below the "Aircraft" menu, locate the aircraft Weight and on the dials to the right, locate the Thrust.

7. In the data table on the worksheet, record the weight in Newtons and the thrust in Newtons for Exec(utive) Jet 1.

8. Change the aircraft type to Fighter and record weight and thrust in the data table for Fighter 1.

9. Change the aircraft type to Airliner and record weight and thrust in the data table for Airliner 1.

10. Change the aircraft type to Exec(utive) Jet and record weight and thrust in the data table for Executive Jet 2.

11. Change the aircraft type to Airliner and record weight and thrust in the data table for Airliner 2.

12. Change the aircraft type to Fighter and record weight and thrust in the data table for Fighter 2.

Use a search engine and find the data to answer the following questions. Record your answers in the data table on the worksheet.

13. Search for Gates Learjet, and find data for the Learjet/C-21. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust.

14. Search for Boeing Fighter Aircraft, and find data for the Boeing F/A-18 "Hornet." Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust.

15. Search for data for the Boeing F-15 "Eagle,". Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust.

16. Search for Boeing Airliners and find data for the Boeing 747. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust.

17. Pick your favorite airplane. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust.

18. Calculate the thrust to weight ratios in the data table.

19. Compare the thrust to weight ratios in airliners, fighter jets, and executive jets.

20. Conclude by explaining why certain types of planes require a higher thrust to weight ratio.

21. List any plane from the data table that can accelerate vertically.

Data Table

Airplane

Weight in lbs.

Divide by 2.2 to convert to kg

Multiply by gravity = 9.80 to convert to Newtons

Weight in Newtons

Thrust in Newtons

Thrust to weight ratio

Executive Jet 1

---

---

---




Executive Jet 2

---
---
---




Learjet







Fighter 1

---
---
---




Fighter 2

---
---
---




F/A-18 "Hornet"







F-15 "Eagle"







Airliner 1

---
---
---




Airliner 2

---
---
---




Boeing 747














 

 


Related Pages:
Standards
Worksheet
Propulsion Activity Index
Propulsion Index

 

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Editor: Tom Benson
NASA Official: Tom Benson
Last Updated: Thu, May 13 02:38:38 PM EDT 2021

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