We tested 3 different paper airplanes with our independent variable being the size of paper and how that affects the flight distance of each plane. Our 3 different paper sizes used were 6×8, 8×11, and 11×17.
Our research question for this experiment was “How does the size of paper affect the flight distance?”
My hypothesis was that the smallest plane (6×8) will fly the furthest as larger planes are heavier and lose altitude therefore flying a shorter distance.
After testing the planes, the data shows that the medium sized plane (8×11) flew the furthest by 0.41 metres.
The results of this investigation were useful to finding out that the most balanced plane (8×11) flew the furthest. We believe this was because the smallest plane did not have big enough wings to keep it gliding long enough and would often starting spinning and the biggest plane had too much drag and was heavier, causing it to lose altitude.
Next time I would like to try experimenting with a broader range of sizes and testing different styles of paper airplanes.
