THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

Master Inventors

What are the four forces of flight? Weight: Planes are heavy; counteracted by lift Lift: The force that holds the plane up; the

wings Drag: The air that pushes against the moving

plane; counteracted by thrust Thrust: The force moving the plane forward;

the engine and propellers

So why are weight and drag important? Answer: They cause lift

The Wind Tunnel

The Wrights spent four years perfecting their airplane design with the help of a wind tunnel where they were able to see what was happening and make changes.

Replica of Wrights’ wind tunnel. The fan produced 25-35 mph winds.

Which way is the air moving?

Wind tunnel faces!

And now…

First glider (1900) flown at Kitty Hawk. What state is Kitty Hawk in?

What are the differences?Write them down!

First Glider Flyer III

What’s so remarkable?

Part of what made the Wright Brother’s plane so remarkable was the fact that it could be piloted

Interactive

Read pages 40 and 42

We’re done…So what is the test going to be like?

You will have a choice between taking the exam or building a wind tunnel

The wind tunnel has to be better than our class model and needs to come to school Mon, Oct 29

The wind tunnel and the exam are worth the same number of points

You can do both. If you do both, I will grade your exam and the wind tunnel will be extra credit

Either way, you HAVE to do the study guide. The study guide is its own assignment.

I know you have questions…

What happens if I make the wind tunnel and forget to bring it on Monday?

Answer: Then you’re taking the exam. Which one is easier? Answer: That depends entirely on the individual How many extra credit points will I get if I do both? Answer: Half of the exam What materials do I use to make the wind tunnel? Answer: You can use anything you’d like as long as

it is works

Hint #1: If your air vane has too large of holes, it won’t filter the air or make the air flow directional.

Air Vane

Hint #2: If your air vane isn’t deep enough, it won’t filter the air or make the air flow directional

Depth: How thick it is

What mistakes did we make?

The towel was too thick

That means the air

vane didn’t let enough air into the

wind tunnel

What design might be best?Why is this wind tunnel larger at the

ends?

What materials can I use?

Wood

Cardboard is probably the most realistic material to use

The straws have small holes to trap the air and they have depth = effective air vane

There is a viewing area. We used acrylic (thin plastic at Menards). You could use Saran Wrap

No gaps between fan and

cardboard

Full straws (not cut)