Our planes
The paper plane experiment tested different paper plane models to determine which one could fly the greatest distance. Presented below are our three planes. Our independent variable was the position of the weights, therefore the design remained the same throughout as the controlled variable. We used scotch tape as our weight and two were placed per position. The first plane consisted of tape on opposite sides of each wing towards the front. The second plane consisted of tape on the wings directly in the center and the third one consisted of tape on the back on either edge.
Results
| Type of Airplane | Trial 1 | Trial 2 | Trial 3 | Trial 4 | Trial 5 | Average Distance |
| 1. Weight in front | 7m | 6.95m | 6.15m | 6.64m | 7.15m | 6.778m |
| 2. Weight in center | 5.49m | 3.76m | 3.76m | 6.1m | 6.96m | 4.014m |
| 3. Weight in back sides | 5.74m | 3.27m | 5.9m | 4.2m | 3.98m | 4.618m |
My group’s hypothesis was that if the weight was distributed in the center it would fly further. Our hypothesis was rejected and based on the data we collected, the plane that had the weight equally distributed on either side of the plane’s wing was the most successful. We learned that by having the weight distributed equally on each side of the plane, the plane would be more balanced and would have the ability to stay in the air longer. We also learned that, though we used the same design for each plane, the design in some cases was affected by the weights. The weights on plane 2 closed part of the wing, which put pressure on them and could have affected the plane’s lift. We concluded with two important questions to help us understand how we can improve. “If the weight had not closed part of the center wing, would there have been better results? Would the use of more or less scotch tape have a drastic change on the data?” These questions could be answered with further experimenting and if we were to do that there would certainly be changes that could be made. The first change would be to try and use moveable weights on one paper plane to ensure that there are no design differences among all three. The moveable weights could be for example paper clips which would act as “more scotch tape” considering it is heavier than two pieces. The second change would be to find a way to put the weights in the center without having to close the wing. The third and last change would be to use a more open space without anything in the way. The more times this experience is repeated, the better chance we have to find our answer of which paper plane is truly the best design to fly the furthest.