![]() Sometimes experimenters placed weights on the kite to observe how specific weight being carried would change the flight pattern. Some of these kites were full-sized, resembling the glider or airplane they intended to fly later but using less-expensive materials. They can hold it by hand (if it is small enough to control) and observe its flight patterns when they vary any number of components: the wing shape and size, its position on the kite's body, the structure of the entire body of the kite, and various tail assemblies.Įarly experimenters of flight built kites that resembled the glider or powered vehicle that s/he hoped to build later. How many of you have seen fancy a kite that performs tricks? How about kites that have multi-levels? Can the person flying the kite move the kite around a lot? Who thinks a kite is just a toy? Well kites are not just toys! They can be a good tool for learning about airplanes, and especially about glider flight! A glider is any aircraft that flies without an engine.Įngineers can learn a lot about the flight patterns of a glider by first building a kite model of the glider. How many of you have flown a kite before? What are the parts of the kite? (Answer: A basic kite has wings, a supporting structure, and a tail.) Is a kite made from light or heavy materials? (Answer: Usually light.) Does a heavy kite fly well in little wind? (Answer: No, you need a lot of wind to lift a heavy kite.) Do we all agree that it takes more wind to lift a heavy kite? Why is that? (Look for answers that mention the need to overcome larger gravitational forces.) In what direction does gravity act? (Answer: Down.) What are different types of aircraft? Today we are going to talk about kites and gliders. International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology Models of all kinds are important for testing solutions.Īlignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback! The iterative process of testing the most promising solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads to greater refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution. This lesson focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:ĭevelop a model to generate data to test ideas about designed systems, including those representing inputs and outputs.Īlignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback! Give examples of how aircraft models can be modified to improve flight.ĭevelop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.Ĭlick to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation.Explain why engineers build models before a final product.Describe the evolution of flight design through history.Identify the four forces affecting flight.Doing this less expensive, easier and quicker since they can learn from their failures while using the small-size, inexpensive models instead of making costly mistakes using full-size prototype airplanes.Īfter this lesson, the students should be able to: Engineers today also use computers to test aspects of their designs before they build the real thing. Modern engineers do the same thing when designing airplanes. When they designed their first airplane, they built balsa models and kites to test how well it would fly. ![]() Orville and Wilbur Wright were inventors who might be considered early aeronautical engineers. This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards ( NGSS). To conclude, they reflect on and communicate the reasoning and results of their design modifications. They apply their accumulated existing knowledge (from previous lessons and activities in this unit) about the four forces affecting flight and modifiable airplane components, and apply an engineering design methodology to develop sound gliders. Then students move on to conduct the associated activity, during which teams design and build their own balsa wood glider models and experiment with different control surfaces, competing for distance and time. They learn about the long history of human experimentation with kites, the eventual achievement of flight with the invention of airplanes, and the pervasive impact of the airplane on the modern world (pros and cons). Students learn about kites and gliders and how these models can help in understanding the concept of flight.
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