Scientific Method and Paper Airplanes

This investigation was to determine whether a paper airplane with two papers attached to its side would travel further than a paper airplane with one paper clip and no paper clips. After conducting the experiment our hypothesis matched the results. The paper airplane with two paper clips travelled the farthest with its average distance being 7.57 metres. The paper airplane with one paperclip came in second place with 6.26 metres as its average and the paper airplane with no paperclips had the shortest distance with 4.95 metres as its average.

Through this experiment process, I learned how adding 2 paperclips to a paper airplane can significantly increase its distance in comparison to a paper airplane with none and one paperclip. By observing, we concluded that this was because the paper clips added more weight to the airplane’s structure aerodynamically. The paperclips also made the airplane more stable and less flimsy resulting in a more direct flight rather than making the paper airplane go in loops which is what happened to the paper airplane with no paperclips reducing the distance. Something I would do differently next time is measure the weight of the paperclips and make observations on whether that would affect our airplane in any way. Testing out different paperclip sizes is also something I would love to test out.

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