Engineering Process with Paper Airplanes

"The important thing is to never stop questioning" - Albert Einstein

Love flying paper airplanes across the fields? Wanting a little bit of time in the sun? Ready to dabble in engineering? Here's how to apply the engineering process to this everyday favorite.

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Materials:

1. 2 Packages of Clean Copy Paper

2. A Box of Paper Clips

3. Measuring Tape (optional)

Process:

Acquire 1 Sheet of Paper and Fold Paper Airplane

Option 1:

fold paper in half (hotdog)

fold sides of paper inwards to form a triangle along the middle

fold sides of paper inward again along the middle

fold the paper in half and fold down the arms (wings) along the middle

Option 2: fold airplane however way you please

The Engineering Process:

1. Fly the Paper Airplane

2. notice how far the airplane goes the first time

3. After Retrieving Back the Paper Airplane, Add Paper Clips to Anywhere On the Plane, or Think of Better Designs

4. Fly the Paper Airplane the Second Time

5. notice if the paper airplane went farther or shorter

6. can use measuring tape to estimate difference

7. Try to Improve the Paper Airplane and Make Changes

8. if paper airplane went shorter, reverse changes and think of other places to put paper clips

9. if paper airplane went farther, you know that you went the right direction, so try to make the plane better

10. Find the Best Paper Airplane

11. may take awhile, but do not be discouraged!

Conclusion:

Congrats, you have just experienced the Engineering Process, a process taken by all engineers to solve all types of problems! Essentially, the Engineering Process is about trial and error, something you did to find the best paper airplane. Without paper clips, your plane probably would not have had enough force to fly straight for too long. However, adding a lot of paper clips could add too much weight for your airplane to even fly. This is why you had to keep on testing and experimenting different situations, just like real life engineers. When faced with tough problems, engineers try all possible situations to find the best solution. For example, an engineer tasked with constructing a bridge will not just test out one material or one design. That engineer will test as many materials he can, such as steel or aluminum, in hopes of finding the best material. Yes, it can be a long pathway, but most of the time, the end yields in successfully achieving one’s goal!