4E - Inquiry

Level Four's Inquiry Question for Term 4 is 'How do we use physical science in design?' To explore our prior knowledge of physical science in design, 4E designed and constructed paper planes to see which design would fly the furthest. We quickly realised a variety of physical sciences needed to be considered in the design of something even as simple as a paper plane for its effectiveness. We needed to consider elements such as the weight of our planes, the shape of the nose and wings, and the size of the wings and plane itself.

Ryan M: The most challenging thing was deciding on which design would work best. I had the design in my mind, but I forgot about what to do with the body of the planes to throw it effectively.

Thenugi: I learned that the pointier the nose was, the further it would go. If it was flat, it's harder for the wind to get around it. It's easier for the wind to move around it when it's pointy.

Kiyara: I learned that the tip has to be pointy to fly straight. When I saw the effective planes that went really far, I noticed that the nose was pointier than the other. I think this helped it cut through the air easier.

Imelda: I learned that the wings need to be flat. We designed our first plane to have a fold which stopped the plane from going very far. When we modified design to have flat wing, it went much further!

Lavviin: It was challenging to think about all of the parts of the plane and how they would work together to make it go further. My partner and I tested it and it boomeranged back so we had to modify different parts to help it fly straight

Tahj: The most challenging thing was trying to figure out how to improve the design when we tested it out. Looking at the successful planes helped me to modify and learn about my design