About this Daily Classroom Special
Wing Lift was written by Ed Clement, former Teachers Network web
mentor and a teacher in the Chicago public school system for more than twenty six
years.
Wing Lift
· For kids in 3rd through 12th grades.
· Build science skills.
· Show kids that science can be useful and interesting.
YOUR STUDENTS CAN TEST WING DESIGN AND MEASURE LIFT
BASIC STEPS
- Get a wine box and take the bottom and top covers off. (I got
my box at Walgreens but any store that sells wine is likely
to have a wine box.)
- Get some Styrofoam or Balsa wood and cut different
shapes, some of which would make good wing designs.
- Get a balance beam scale and adapt it to hold sample wing
designs.
- Get a fan. (A powerful variable speed fan is best.)
- Attach one of the wing designs to the balance beam scale and
balance it so it is level.
- Place the balance beam scale with attached wing design in
front of wine box with fan behind box. (See graphic at top of
page.)
- Turn on fan and watch the wing raise or not. (To measure lift
use balance beam weights to see how much weight is needed to
prevent the good wing design from lifting.
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