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Beginner's
Guide to Aeronautics
Designing an Aircraft Model
Subject Areas: Science, Mathematics
Grade Level: 6-8
National Standards:
Science
Unifying
Concepts and Processes - Evidence, models, and explanation.
Science and
Technology - Abilities of technological design.
Mathematics
Mathematics
as Reasoning - Understand and apply reasoning process, with special
attention to spatial reasoning and reasoning with proportions and graphs.
Mathematics
as Reasoning - Validate their own thinking.
Technology
Technology
research tools - use content-specific tools, software and simulations
to support learning and research.
Technology
research tools - select and use appropriate tools and technology
resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems.
Objective:
After exploring
the Boeing
Historical Commercial Photos Web site and the NASA
Glenn Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics, you will demonstrate a basic
understanding of airplane design and propulsion by making a model of an
aircraft, explaining its design, and "flying" it. You will graph the results
of three trials.
The Beginner's Guide
to Aeronautics is a Web site of information prepared by NASA Glenn Research
Center to help you better understand aircraft aerodynamics and propulsion.
Click Beginner's Guide Index
to access the list of slides. Open the slide called Three
Forces on a Glider and read it. Then go back to the Beginner's Guide
Index and access the slide called Four
Forces on an Airplane.
Boeing Historical
Commercial Photos (http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/boeinghistcom.html)
has a database of images of Boeing commercial aircraft. By clicking on
the images, you can access additional data, including span, length, weight,
top speed, range, and type of engine. (Warning: downloading the information
on each aircraft may take a while. Some, however, load very quickly.)
Open this site and read through the various aircraft data. Then using
the background information accessed, complete the activity designed to
demonstrate your ability to (1) design a model of an aircraft, and (2)
graph information you obtain from "flying" your aircraft.
Assessment:
You, or you
and your partner(s), will be evaluated by the accuracy or feasibility
of your answers.
Evaluation:
You will
demonstrate the ability to use and understand information found on the
World Wide Web by designing an aircraft and graphing the information obtained
by "flying" it.
Submitted by:
Robert E.
Merski, Holy Family School, Erie, Pennsylvania
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