The Effects of Paper Clips Added to a Paper Airplane
Purpose
The purpose of this investigating is to test the effects of adding a paper
clip on a paper airplane on its distance.
Introduction
There are four main forces that affect a paper airplane’s flight: lift,
gravity, thrust, drag. Lift keeps it in the air, gravity pulls it down, thrust makes it
go forward, and drag slows it down.
Lift is the force that helps the paper airplane stay in the air. Without lift it
could not fly. There are two thoughts on how lift works; the Bernoulli’s Principle
and the Newtonian Explanation (Kevin Bailey). Bernoulli’s Principle is when the air
pressure is lower on top of the wing than the air below it (Thomas Smid).
Newtonian Explanation is when the air hits the bottom of the wing because it is
slanted and pushes the plane upward (Kevin Bailey).
Gravity is the force that pulls things down and works against lift. Thrust is
what makes the plane go forward. Lift could not be produced if there were no
thrust. In this case the trust is coming from our hand. Drag is the friction
between the plane and the air that “wants to stick” to the plane in turn slowing it
down (Kevin Bailey). Dihedral is the angle of the wing. It provides a stability to the
plane (Doug Jackson).
Hypothesis
When paper clips are added to the paper airplanes the distance will be
decreased.
Materials



8.5×11 white piece of paper
Meter stick
1 paper clip
Methods
Dependent Variable: Distance of airplane
Independent Variable: Number of paper Clips
Control: No paper clips
Making the Plane:
1. First, make sure that the paper is facing vertical.
2. Fold top of the paper 2/3 of the way down.
3. Then fold top corners to the middle of the paper.
4. Next fold the top corner down to the middle of the paper.
5. Fold in half along red line.
6. Next turn the paper horizontal.
7. The flap should be folded down to the bottom of the paper.
8. Flip onto other side and repeat step 7.
9. Fold same flaps back up but only half way. Do both sides like this.
10. Open up plane so that the front view should look like this.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Carrying Out the Investigation:
First go outside and bring a meter stick with you.
Create a starting place for flying the plane
Then begin the first trial.
 Throw the plane from the starting point in a certain direction.
 Measure in meters how far the plane traveled.
 Record distance that was found on a table.
Repeat the bullets in step 3 two more times for the second and third trials.
Put the paper clip on to the front of the plane so that it is horizontal on the
front side of the plane.
Repeat the steps 3-4, but with the paper clip on it.
Once the trials are complete, average the Before Modification (0 paper
clips) together and the After Modification (1 paper clip) together.
Record the averages on the table.
Data
Trial
Before Modification
1
2
3
After Modification
4.50m
5.54m
9.10m
6.38m
Average:
6.0m
6.0m
7.0m
6.33m
Results
The Effects of Modifing A Paper
Airplane(Paper Clips)
6.39
6.38
Distance(m)
6.37
6.38
Before
6.36
6.35
6.34
6.33
6.33
After
6.32
6.31
6.30
0
Paper Clips
1
Conclusion
The results came out the way they did because of the weight of the plane. 1
paper clip increased the weight so the gravity pulling on the plane was greater. The
results did support the hypothesis because the distance did decrease. The
investigation was not full proof because the throws were not the same amount of
power and the wind could also be another factor. The experiment could be tested
in an inside area next time to decrease the wind.
Bibliography
 Smid, Thomas. “Bernoulli’s Principles & Airplane Aerodynamics.”
Physics Myths. Sept. 10, 2011.
http://www.physicsmyths.org.uk/bernoulli.htm
 Bailey, Kevin. “Learn About Flight.” Fun Paper Airplanes. Sept. 10,
2011.
http://www.funpaperairplanes.com/Learn%20About%20Flight.ht
ml#Gravity
 Jackson, Doug. “Wing Twist & Dihedral.” Aerospaceweb. Sept. 10,
2011.
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/dynamics/q0055.shtml