Science Honours 10 – Scientific Method & Paper Airplanes
   Step 8: Science Communication
My classmate Michaela and I have conducted an experiment testing the hypothesis: if a regular paper airplane’s wings are extended by 1.5 inches, then it will fly further because it will catch more wind while not being too heavy. We made three paper airplanes, one regular plane (Plane 1) with wings 2 inches wide, Plane 2 with a wing extension of 1.5 inches, and Plane 3 with an extension of 2.5 inches to test the limits. Plane 1 had an average flying distance of 5.4m, Plane 2 had an average of 5m, and Plane 3 averaged 1.3m. My hypothesis was rejected.
I learned that either Plane 1’s standard design already possessed the ideal wingspan, or the method used to attach the wing extensions was flawed. To clarify these results, next time I would make Plane 2 and 3 using papers big enough to increase the wingspans accordingly without needing to tape on extensions. That way, Plane 1, 2 and 3 would be each made from 1 paper each.