Name _____________________________________ Date _____________ Period ___________
Physical Science
Paper Airplane Lab
American aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the first successful selfpropelled airplane. In the 1880s and 1890s the two brothers published a newspaper and later
formed the Wright Cycle Company to build and sell bicycles in Dayton, Ohio.
The brothers’ interest in aviation started in 1896, when they learned of early European
experiments in flight. They began a program for building an airplane by first conducting tests with
kites and then gliders. Before attempting powered flight, they solved the problems of controlling
the plane’s motion in rising, descending, and turning. A beach near Kitty Hawk, NC, was selected
for flight tests based on the advice of the U.S. Weather Bureau. After making more than 700
successful glider flights at Kitty Hawk in 1902, the Wright brothers faced the problem of finding
an engine light enough and powerful enough to get their plane off the ground. No automobile
manufacturer would accept the job, so the Wright brothers, along with Charles Taylor, designed
and built their own 12-to-16 horsepower engine and propeller for their plane, which was originally
named “Flyer I,” but commonly referred to as the ‘Kitty-Hawk.’ On December 17, 1903, Orville
achieved the first successful flight ever made in a self-propelled heavier-than-air craft.
In order for their plane to get off the ground the Wright brothers needed to do many
experiments using what we know as the scientific method. The scientific method is the way that
scientists gather information and test ideas. In this lab you will examine the scientific method and
run some of your own tests using something you probably know a great deal about, paper
airplanes. You will create your own paper airplanes, measure them for time of flight, and distance
traveled, just as Orville and Wilbur must have done when they started in the field of aviation using
the scientific method.
OBJECTIVE



Demonstrate the principles of the scientific method using paper airplanes.
Measure the time of flight and the distance traveled.
Calculate the average speed of the plane.
MATERIALS



Several sheets of plain paper--including various types/thickness
Ruler or meter stick
Stopwatch
PROCEDURE
Part I. Observation
A. Construct an airplane out of paper. This will be the first test plane or the control.
B. In an approved area throw the plane and time the interval in seconds from the time it leaves your
hand until the time it touches the ground. Measure the distance, in the direction of intended flight, in
meters from where you threw the plane to where it landed. Record your measurements in the data
table.
C. Repeat letter B two more times so that you have three recordings. Take the average and record
them in the data table.
D. On the data table, make observations about the flight. Your observations must be specific (for
example: did it turn up, go down, turn right or left, glide well, take a nose dive, etc.?).
E. Discuss with your lab partner the reasons that your plane did what it did. List the possible reasons
after the observations. Next, answer: What can you do to make your plane fly farther?
Part II. Forming a Hypothesis
From your observations, you must next form a hypothesis. Remember a hypothesis is a possible
answer to a question, a solution to the problem, or even an educated guess. What is the question or
problem you are trying to solve? The question your hypothesis must answer is “What can you do to
make your plane fly farther?” Keep your hypothesis short and list it below.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Part III. The Experiment
An experiment is a controlled procedure designed to test a hypothesis.
A. Design a new plane. To test your hypothesis you must change only one aspect of your plane at a
time. Construct your new plane so that only one aspect has changed.
B. Test your new plane to see if your hypothesis is correct. Test this plane the same way you tested
your plane in Part I of this lab. You will conduct and record three trials.
C. Record your measurements and observations in the data table.
Part IV. Make Observations and revise Hypothesis
A. Was your hypothesis Correct? __________ Did the averages improve? ____________ List
observations from the latest flight on the wing of the airplane.
B. If your hypothesis was incorrect, you must make a new hypothesis and start again at Part I, step
A. However, if your hypothesis was correct, try to improve your plane’s flight in some other manner
and form yet another hypothesis. State your new hypothesis here.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
C. Retest your new plane to see if your new hypothesis is correct. Test this plane the same way you
tested the plane in Part I. of this lab. Be sure to list observations on the wing of the airplane
D. Record your measurements and observations in the data table.
E. Continue to revise your hypothesis and retest as many times as necessary until you feel that your
hypothesis can stand the test of time. Be sure to list each set of observations and results on the data
table and have it ready to hand in.
Part V. State Your Theory
A hypothesis that has been tested and supported many times is called a theory. In this lab your results
cannot possibly be tested may times. So, taking that into account, state your theory.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
CONCLUSIONS
1.
What relationship did the size of your plane’s wings have on the distance it flew?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2.
List what changes you made to your planes and how each change affected their flight.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3.
Could you have had differences in the angle the plane was thrown and/or did more than
one person throw the plane?
__________________________________________________________________
4.
How did you or how could you account for the differences mentioned in the previous
question?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5.
In which step did you have a control test?
__________________________________________________________________
6.
Why is it that instructions said to change only one aspect of your plane each time?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
EXTENSION
Have your teacher set up a competition among your class and/or with other classes to see who’s plane can
fly the farthest.
DATA TABLE
Flight #
1
2
3
Average 1-3
4
5
6
Average 4-6
7
8
9
Average 7-9
10
11
12
Average 10-12
13
14
15
Average 13-15
Distance
Traveled
Time of Flight
Average Speed
Observations