First Grade - How Do Helicopter's Fly?

[LJZ]

My 6 yr old son wants to enter his school's science fair and answer "How Do Helicopter's Fly?" We've checked out books about Helicopters and he understands "lift", but I don't know how to turn this into a project with an experiment that allows for the collection/measuring of data. I know how to do a research project, but I don't know how to turn this into a Science Fair Project. While I want to help him, I really want this to be something he can feel he did himself. Any ideas for experiments? Please help.

[davidkallman]

Hi LJZ,

Helicopter flight is actually more complicated than lift. A good resource is http://www.howstuffworks.com/helicopter.htm

If you consult this page and the links from it, you'll discover that helicopters have three dimensional control, see http://travel.howstuffworks.com/helicopter2.htm In addition to going up and down, helicopter have the with ability to go forward and back, to hover, to stop, and to spin around an axis. Helicopters are far more versatile than airplanes (which have lift only).

Now getting back to your question of how to turn this all into a science project, I'm stumped. It will be difficult to build a working model of either helicopters or airplanes and compare them. Model helicopters are available for purchase at http://www.answers.com/how%20do%20helic ... y?shop.x=1 Unfortunately, these are fairly expensive, and, in any case, I don't see how use a pre-built helicopter can be used as a science project.

Best I can think of is a display of all the capabilities of helicopters and compare them to capabilities of airplanes. But that's not a project with an experiment.

Maybe others can help.

[LJZ]

Thanks for the websites.

There's an example on here about whirlybirds and making them with different shaped blades to see how the blade shape effects it. Do you think something like this could be made to work? The mentioned experiment is more about how man has looked to nature, and imitated it in design. I wasn't sure a falling whirlybird would work for a flying experiment. With flight and all the physics involved, is there a law we could test? My son's enthusiasm sparked when he received a small remote control helicopter for Christmas.

[davidkallman]

Hi Hi LJZ,

I'm not sure what website you looked at.

Whirlybirds can make good projects. Please consult:

http://rotored.arc.nasa.gov/PDF/Robin_Whirlybird_5.pdf

for details and many project suggestions. Thanks.

Note, you'll need to install the Adobe reader to view the PDF file (if you haven't already.). The reader can be found at the Adobe site (adobe.com) under the box that says "get Adobe reader."

[LJZ]

Thank you so much. This looks like something that can work. My 6 yr old son is the scientist and I am not - but I am trying to encourage him and help nurture his fascination with space and science.

[LJZ]

If you were curious, this is the whirlybird thing I mentioned earlier....

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ?from=Home

Thanks again.

[davidkallman]

If you were curious, this is the whirlybird thing I mentioned earlier....

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ?from=Home

Thanks again.

Thanks for the reference - looks good, and you're welcome. If it's useful, please use the webpages I quoted as background. Thanks.

[tdaly]

LJZ,

The project you have described using whirlybirds is an excellent project for someone who is six years old. The most important thing about doing a science project, especially for young students, is to find out something about something the student finds interesting. And the amount of understanding your child has about how a helicopter (or whirlybird) works is completely related to his age and abilities. As a science fair judge in the primary grades (K-3), I would much rather see a student who is excited about what they have done and understands one or two basic concepts related to his project than I would see a student who was pushed so hard that the project lost its excitement. What you are doing is wonderful; I hope that both you and your child enjoy doing the experiment together.

[LJZ]

Thank you for the encouraging words.