The “O-Wing” Experiment
Brief description
This lesson focuses on the ‘scientific method’ and can be incorporated into a unit on
flight or as a stand alone activity. Students learn that a controlled experiment is a
repetitive process in which one variable is incrementally changed while all others are
kept constant.
Students build and test several O-Wing gliders to investigate the effect of wing size
on flight performance. Next, they design their own experiment to investigate the
effect of fuselage (straw) length on the O-Wing’s performance. As a fun closing
activity, students can construct multi-winged O-Wing gliders to compete in ‘The
Most Bizarre O-Wing Challenge’.
Duration:
Year Level:
Location:
60 – 80 minutes
Lower to upper primary
School hall, outdoors or classroom (depending on weather and
availability)
Scientific method, experimenting, controlling variables, measurement,
qualitative and quantitative results, flight
10 minutes
SCIENCE / SOSE – Research the history of flight
ART/SCIENCE – Construct the most, weird, bizarre or beautiful flying
O-Wing
Topics:
Preparation:
Extensions:
Overview
Whole class
Teacher demonstration
Discuss procedure and safety instructions
Designate group work jobs
(5 – 10 min)
Small groups
Experiment 1 – Experimenting with wing size
Experiment 2 – Experimenting with fuselage length
(30 – 45 min)
Whole class
Discussion
(5 – 10 min)
Individual
Weirdest O-Wing Challenge (Optional)
(10 – 15 min)
Whole class
Discuss activities
(15 – 20 min)
Materials and equipment
Each group will need :
10 plastic drinking straws
ruler
1
stiff card (eg manilla folder)
pencils
1
roll clear sticky tape
scissors
Lesson 6 – The “O-Wing” Experiment
abc.net.au/science
Page 1
© Ruben Meerman 2004
Preparation
Materials for teacher to collect:
y Sufficient quantities of straws and stiff card
y Download and photocopy 30 student worksheets
Objectives
The objectives below are a guide only. You should check the outcomes statement
for the year level of your class before deciding which of the following objectives are
appropriate.
Students’ prior knowledge
Students are familiar with their group work job responsibilities. No prior knowledge
of scientific concepts is assumed for this lesson.
Science skills
Experiment 1: Effect of wing size on O-Wing performance
Students will:
y follow the instructions accurately
y identify the variables affecting the flight of an O-Wing
y control as many variables as possible for each test flight of their
O-Wing gliders
y measure and record the length of each test flight
y record their qualitative observations of each test flight
y draw conclusions about the effect of wing size on the O-Wing’s
performance
y make suggestions for how their experiment could be improved to
yield more accurate results
Experiment 2: Effect of fuselage (straw) length on O-Wing performance
Students will:
y design an experiment to test for the effect of different fuselage
(straw) lengths on the O-Wing’s performance
y perform their experiment
y measure and record their results
y draw conclusions about the effect of wing size on the O-Wing’s
performance
y make suggestions for how their experiment could be improved to
yield more accurate results
Positive attitudes
Students will:
y work cooperatively in small groups
y ensure each member has an opportunity to see and understand
the activities
y handle equipment and materials carefully and responsibly
y use materials sparingly and dispose of waste responsibly
Lesson 6 – The “O-Wing” Experiment
abc.net.au/science
Page 2
© Ruben Meerman 2004
Procedure
Selecting a suitable location for test flights
A school hall is the best location for the test flights if available. The test flights can also be
performed outdoors on a clear, still day. If neither of these options are available, the
classroom can be cleared for the test flights, however it may be more appropriate to
conduct the test flights in a whole class activity to reduce traffic and provide a clear flight
path for each test.
Introduction (Whole class / 5 – 10 min)
y Demonstrate the construction of an O-Wing and ask the class if they expect this
strange contraption will actually fly (most people are quite surprised to see an OWing glide), then demonstrate its flight
y Discuss the first O-Wing experiment to be conducted and logistics of test flying (see
teacher notes)
y Ask students to identify, and discuss all the variables that might affect each test flight
and how these might be controlled – these include, but are not limited to:
force of throw (or initial velocity)
height of release
angle to the ground at release (eg throwing horizontal or up toward the sky)
angle of the wings to the ground (eg wings above straw, or wings below straw)
wind
y Distribute and discuss worksheets (if averaging has not yet been covered, discuss
how the average of the tests will be calculated)
y Allocate group work jobs and badges (if using group work model)
y Prepare the room for experiments and test flights
Experiment 1: Effect of Wing Size (Small groups / 15 – 20 min)
y All group members read the instructions and cooperate to prepare a work station
y All group members contribute to the successful completion of the experiment
y WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION – briefly discuss the results of the first experiment
Experiment 2: Effect of Fuselage Length (15 – 20 min)
y All group members contribute the experiment design and discuss and appropriate
procedure
y All group members cooperate to complete the experiment
Conclusion (Whole class / 10 – 15 min)
y Discuss the results of the two experiments
y Demonstrate the effect of adding ballast (weight) to the front of the O-Wing glider
(see teacher notes)
y Set the construction challenge for the weirdest / most beautiful / most intricate
O-Wing Glider
Lesson 6 – The “O-Wing” Experiment
abc.net.au/science
Page 3
© Ruben Meerman 2004
Teacher notes
Experimental results
In this lesson, the experimental results are not as important as the process and conclusions
drawn by students. Large variations in the results for both of these experiments is to be
expected between groups. This is because even with students’ best efforts, controlling the
variables is quite difficult.
Experiment 1: Effect of wing size on O-Wing performance
Students are most likely to conclude that there is an optimum
size for the smaller wing, which lies somewhere between
having equal sized wings and a smaller wing size of
10 cm.
Students should discover that the glider with equal size wings
does not glide, but falls with the trajectory of a leaf or feather
(read about adding ballast below). The smallest wing will most
likely result in shorter flights.
Remember that students should arrive at whatever conclusion
their results point to, so if there is disagreement among groups,
it is worth discussing how this might have come about, rather
than forcing agreement.
Experiment 2: Effect of fuselage length on O-Wing performance
Students are most likely to conclude that a longer fuselage results in better performance,
up to a straw length of approximately 3 or 4 straws. However, this too may vary between
groups and a discussion of why results may vary would be more fruitful than deciding
who made mistakes (if any).
Add ballast for another surprising result
At the end of the lesson, you can again surprise
your class by demonstrating the effect of adding
a paperclip as ballast to the front of an O-Wing
glider. Start with an glider which has equal sized
wings and ask the class to recall their earlier
result. Show them how a paper clip can be
added to front of this O-Wing. This O-Wing will
now fly just as well as an O-Wing with unequally
sized wings.
Lesson 6 – The “O-Wing” Experiment
abc.net.au/science
Page 4
© Ruben Meerman 2004
Weird and wonderful O-Wings
Adding ballast to the front of any O-Wing glider that is not performing well can
significantly improve its flight. Armed with this new knowledge, you can now challenge
students to build the most weird and wonderful O-Wings possible, either as a homework
task, or extension activity on this lesson.
Both O-Wings pictured below glide beautifully and some improvement can be gained by
adding a ballast paperclip to the front.
Lesson 6 – The “O-Wing” Experiment
abc.net.au/science
Page 5
© Ruben Meerman 2004
.
The ‘O-Wing’ Experiment
Name ______________________________________
Materials required:
Plastic drinking straws
Thick card
Sticky Tape
Scissors
Ruler
Pencils
Making an O-Wing:
1. Carefully cut a strip of card to the size
required
2. Put a piece of sticky tape on the end of
the strip. Curl it over so the ends overlap
a little and stick down. It helps to tape
down the inside of the wing too.
3. Lay a piece of tape on the table, sticky
side up. Stick the straw onto the middle
of the tape. Push the wing onto the tape
and secure it carefully.
4. Centre both wings on the straw
carefully like this.
Flying an O-Wing
Hold the O-Wing in the middle of the straw
The “O-Wing” Experiment – Student Worksheet
ABC Science Online ( abc.net.au/science )
Throw horizontally and gently
Page 1
© Ruben Meerman 2004
O-Wing Experiment1:
Wing size experiment
Introduction
You are going to conduct a scientific experiment to find out if O-Wings fly better with different size wings, or
wings that are the same size. You will make and test fly several O-Wings and record the results of each test
flight.
Variables
For the results of your experiment to be useful, each test flight must be conducted under the same
conditions. This means you need to control the variables that affect an O-Wing’s flight as best you can. Write
down all the variables you can think of, that might affect the O-Wing. How can you control each of these
variables?
Procedure
Make four O-Wings as described below.
Use strips that are 2.5 cm wide for ALL the wings (ie both large and small wings)
O-Wing Number
Small wing length
Large wing length
1
25 cm
25 cm
2
20 cm
25 cm
3
15 cm
25 cm
4
10 cm
25 cm
The “O-Wing” Experiment – Student Worksheet
ABC Science Online ( abc.net.au/science )
Page 2
© Ruben Meerman 2004
Results
Conduct the test flights and record your results in the table below. There is also space below to write down
any observations about how well each O-Wing flew (eg did it glide, or spin out of control).
Table 1 – O-Wing test flight results
Small Wing Size
Distance flown
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
Average
25 cm *
(*equal size wings)
20 cm
15 cm
10 cm
Observations
Conclusions
What conclusions can you draw from the results of your experiment?
Can you think of any ways to improve the experiment?
The “O-Wing” Experiment – Student Worksheet
ABC Science Online ( abc.net.au/science )
Page 3
© Ruben Meerman 2004
O-Wing Experiment2:
Fuselage length experiment
Introduction
Now that you have seen how a simple O-Wing experiment can be designed and conducted, it’s your turn.
Devise an experiment to find out how the length of the straw affects the performance of the O-Wing. Use
the space provide, or your science journal to record your experiment. You can cut straws to shorter lengths,
or join several straws together to make longer lengths.
The “O-Wing” Experiment – Student Worksheet
ABC Science Online ( abc.net.au/science )
Page 4
© Ruben Meerman 2004
The “O-Wing” Experiment – Student Worksheet
ABC Science Online ( abc.net.au/science )
Page 5
© Ruben Meerman 2004