Air Flight Science Fair Experiments

The first step in any air flight science fair experiments is to conduct the necessary background research. In this case you will want to not only research paper airplane design, but also airplane design, lift and air resistance. The information that you pick up during your research will help you come up with your hypothesis.

The hypothesis that you select for your air flight science fair experiments is going to direct the type of paper airplanes that you create. For example, if your hypothesis is that wider wings on a paper airplane will help give it more lift, then you will want to design paper airplanes with wings of various widths while keeping the other aspects of the plane the same. You will want to follow similar procedures for other variables that you choose to experiment with in your hypothesis.

After you have your hypothesis and airplane designs developed you will be ready to test your designs out and collect data. To collect data you will want to set up a test strip that is lined with a measuring tape. This will help you track how far each plane goes. If you don't have a measuring tape that is long enough, then you can use colored flags to mark the landing spot of each test plane. Have a friend help you collect data if at all possible.

Now that you have your data in hand you are ready to analyze it and determine if your hypothesis is right or wrong. If the data that you collect proves that your hypothesis is incorrect then you know for certain that your hypothesis is false. However, even if your data seems to support that your hypothesis is correct your hypothesis is still not "proven" to be true. Try to explain why this is.

Engineering based science projects, like those that deal with paper airplane design, are great practice for more complex engineering projects. They not only help you to develop problem solving skills but they also help you to develop your scientific research skills.