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What’s Up With Science

Activity:: Bernoulli and the Leaf Blower
Description:: Makes the Bernoulli Principle experiment larger than life.
Contributed by:: Southwest Airlines Pilot David D.

Pilot David D. shared this:

Make a bigger blast with the Bernoulli Principle by using a leaf blower and a beach ball to demonstrate the high and low air pressure phenomenon.
I took my class outside, pointed the nozzle of the leaf blower upward, turned it on, and placed a small beach ball over the air flow. It makes an even bigger impression than the blow dryer and ping pong ball!

Activity:: Wing Demonstration
Description:: Show how air pressure affects the wing of an airplane by creating your own “On a Wing and an Air” demonstration.
Contributed by:: Southwest Airlines Pilot Rick D.

Pilot Rick D. shared this:

Get the demo materials. At the local hobby store, purchase one big styrofoam glider. (They have two big wings on them, in case you botch one.) Also, pick up four dowels or metal rods.
Build the base. Put three 2” x 6” board sections together to make the base (you can glue them together for stability.) On the boards, drill holes for the rods, two on each end. Drill the holes as perpendicular as you can, as this helps in later stages.
Prepare the wing. Cut the wing to fit the block base. Cut (drill) holes into the wing, so that the wing can ride freely up and down on the rods. Make them big – see example in the picture. (The loss of lift from the bigger holes is negligible, and it helps the wing float freely without binding.)
Decorate the base. (Optional). Feel free to paint the base, but don’t mess with the wing, as it adds weight.
Assemble the parts. Place the wing on the rods; let it fall to the base.
Tweak for best results. Grab a floor fan and put it in front of the contraption. Turn it on and start tweaking. Move the fan forward and back and change the angle until you can get it to go up and down every time. Use as strong a fan as possible - remember lift goes up exponentially with the velocity of the air. If it is not working, make sure you are using a strong enough fan. Bend the rods as needed to get the wing to free float in the air. Once you get it to work every time, note the distance and angle of the fan so when you do it in class, you can reproduce the effect without having to "tweak" it in front of fifth- graders.

Teaching Points:

Show students the wing by itself, so they can observe the shape and camber of the wing. This reinforces the aerodynamic science.
Ask students why the wing doesn’t fly off the rods. It is because the fan’s airflow stops at a certain height - so it can’t "lift" any more.
Talk about snow and ice and how it hurts the lift of the wing by creating drag and interrupting the laminar flow over the wing.

Activity:: Model Rockets
Description:: Make aerodynamics take off with this exciting model rocket activity.
Contributed by:: Southwest Airlines Pilot Mark T.

Pilot Mark T. shared this:

Go to the local hobby story and buy a few “quick-build model rockets.” (I got about three or four engines per rocket so the students could experiment with them.)
As a teambuilding exercise, divide the class into teams and have them build the rockets in a certain amount of time (reminding them it doesn’t matter who finishes first).
After the first launch, discuss what went well, what didn’t. Then make changes and try again.
How fun to see the students’ faces when the first rocket actually launches!

Activity:: Isotropic Liquids
Description:: This “general science” experiment is simple and gets students’ hands on the fun of science.
Contributed by:: Southwest Airlines Pilot Mark T.

Pilot Mark T. shared this:

ISOTROPIC vs. THIXOTROPIC liquids
My classes have talked about how important science is to flying. From the Montgolfier Brothers to discussing the discovery of the lift equation {L =3D (Cl)(r)(Vsuared/2)(A)}.
So, it was only natural that our discussions lead us to properties of fluids and liquids, and how they might change if put into a different environment. And in talking aviation, things like why doesn’t fuel freeze at an altitude where it is -60? We came to the conclusion scientists are needed to study these things, and sometimes substances may surprise you. Such is the case with thixotropic and isotropic liquids.
A thixotropic liquid is one which becomes more fluid when agitated (stirred or mixed). An example would be ketchup or quicksand.
An isotropic liquid becomes more solid when agitated.
To demonstrate isotropic liquids, all we needed was some water and some cornstarch. The groups mixed about a cup of cornstarch with about a half cup of water (amount of water may vary) until they had a mixture that looked like pancake batter.
Now for the fun! Grab a handful and start playing with it. It is runny to start, but as you work it, the substance becomes firmer. In fact, if you do it right you can make a ball out of it, but be cautious, because when you stop playing to show your friend the ball in your hand; it will melt right through your fingers!
Anyway, my classes had a ball with this science project. Give it a try.

Activity:: Hovercraft
Description:: Show students just how powerful air pressure can be with this homemade “hovercraft.”
Contributed by:: Southwest Airlines Pilot Mark T.

Pilot Mark T. shared this:

I made a hovercraft with a plywood disc and my leaf blower.
Essentially what happens is you’re creating a frictionless field under a piece of wood on the ground (smooth cafeteria floor may be best).
Take a 3 ½ -foot wood disc.
To create handles, drill two holes about four inches apart on either side of the disc (a total of four holes) and loop a short piece of rope through the holes (to make handles like a sledding disc.)
Line the bottom with an old plastic shower curtain (attach with duct tape).
Have an adult sit on the disc and hold onto the handles.
Using your leaf blower, blow air underneath the disc. The disc should lift slightly. Carefully move with the leaf blower and you should be able to “guide” the hovercraft across the floor.

Activity:: 3” x 5” Flying Machines
Description:: This activity allows students to use their creativity in creating an unusual flying machine.
Contributed by:: Southwest Airlines Pilot Mark T.

Pilot Mark T. shared this:

Try this fun contest.
I give students one 3” x 5” card and those craft lollipop stick that are 10” long.
I challenge them to come up with a plan to create a flying machine out of these two materials and tape. I tell them they can cut the card, use glue, tape, or anything you want to do it.
Hint: They can take the 3” x 5” card, cut it into three equally wide strips, tape them into a circle, and attach those in line (small circle in front, big circle in back). With the air rushing through the smaller circle, it creates a low pressure system, same thing in back, and this creates a flying machine.

Activity:: Wind Tunnel
Description:: This wind tunnel demonstration shows students how air pressure acts on a wing to make flight possible.
Contributed by:: Southwest Airlines Pilot Bruce S.

Pilot Bruce S. shared this:

Make a small open ended box with Plexiglas on top and one side to allow viewing.
Have the top half of a wing platform mounted on the bottom.
The wing platform has a solid (wood) leading edge and trailing edge.
Between the two edges, put plastic sheeting.
Blow air over the top with either a fan or hairdryer. The plastic sheeting rises demonstrating that air pressure drops as air rushes over the top of the wing creating lift.

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