Air & Aerodynamics & Flight
What is air? How do planes fly? How do birds stay in the air? This grade 6 science unit is all about answering these questions and many more. We will be learning about the forces of flight, Bernoulli's Principle, how and why hot air balloons work, and even the different parts of an airplane!
This unit is very hands on - we will be applying what we learn through many exciting activities. I mean, have you ever wondered how a giant metal tube that weighs thousands of pounds can stay in the air? Let's find out!
This unit is very hands on - we will be applying what we learn through many exciting activities. I mean, have you ever wondered how a giant metal tube that weighs thousands of pounds can stay in the air? Let's find out!
Check out this amazing website by Learn Alberta: The Thrill of Flight
Properties of Air |
Forces of FlightHow planes fly (click on each force to learn more!):
LIFT must be applied to overcome the airplane's WEIGHT, while the engine needs to provide enough THRUST to overcome DRAG. Rockets use a different type of propulsion, or THRUST, to overcome gravtity.
Check out this website to learn more about how things fly!
Want to play around with the forces of flight and design your own plane? Click here!
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Bernoulli's Principle
Bernoulli's Principle: the faster air flows, the less pressure it has.
The top of a wing is curved.
The air moves quickly over the top of the wing.
This causes low pressure.
The air moves quickly over the top of the wing.
This causes low pressure.
The bottom of a wing is flat.
The air moves more slowly along the bottom of the wing.
This creates high pressure.
The air moves more slowly along the bottom of the wing.
This creates high pressure.
Higher pressure underneath pushes up on the wing, producing LIFT.
Try these simulators out for yourself:
Airplane Control Surfaces
Ever wonder how planes move around once they're in the air? The movable control surfaces are how!
Ailerons Controls Roll On the outer rear edge of each wing, the two ailerons move in opposite directions, up and down, decreasing lift on one wing while increasing it on the other. This causes the airplane to roll to the left or right. To turn the airplane, the pilot uses the ailerons to tilt the wings in the desired direction.
The Rudder Controls Yaw On the vertical tail fin, the rudder swivels from side to side, pushing the tail in a left or right direction. A pilot usually uses the rudder along with the ailerons to turn the airplane.
The Elevator Controls Pitch On the horizontal tail surface, the elevator tilts up or down, decreasing or increasing lift on the tail. This tilts the nose of the airplane up and down.
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