Today, in Science class, we experimented with testing variables within paper planes (eg. height, weight, width, etc,) to see which type of plane would fly the furthest. My partner, Ally, and I chose to experiment with the weight of the plane by changing the number of paper clips added to the body of it. The first plane had 1 paperclip, the second plane had 2 paperclips and the third plane had 3 paperclips added to it.

Our hypothesis was “if we increase the weight of the paper plane’s body using paper clips, then, the more weight the plane has, the further it’ll travel.” This hypothesis was accepted based off of our data, in the end. The plane with 1 paper clip flew an average of 7.1m. (The least distance traveled out of the three.) The plane with 2 paper clips flew an average of 9m. (The distance in between both.) The plane with 3 paper clips flew an average of 9.3m. (The greatest distance traveled out of the three.)

When researching prior to beginning the experiment, we came to the conclusion that most likely, the thinnest but heaviest materialized plane would fly the farthest. This was accurate looking at our results. The biggest takeaway from this would be that yes, the heavier the plane, (suggesting it is aerodynamic), the farther it will travel. Just like anything else in life, this concept is correct. For example, when skipping rocks on water, you want to look for a rock that is relatively dense but small so that it doesn’t just fall and collapse into the water.

If we were to redo this and try to make it better, we would have tried to stay in the same hallway when testing all three models. My partner and I had to move spaces as there were far too many people walking by us, and we felt it was a distraction. What we didn’t think of were factors such as the airflow in the given space. Even the small things such as windows being open in certain classes nearby, can have an effect on how far the plane travels. Generally, we found that from trial to trial, the results varied. We both felt that our final results could have been much more accurate if we did even more trials. This would have allowed us to see if our hypothesis was accepted because the idea was truly correct or if it was pure luck. I re-learnt lots about the Scientific Method and basic steps on how to allow a planned procedure to followthrough successfully. If I am ever in need of a far flying, paper plane, looks like I will be using a heavier bodied, but still aerodynamic model.

Here are some pictures of the 3 planes…