Page 128 - Big Ideas Year 10 sciPAD 2025

PHOTOCOPYING PROHIBITED
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128 SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 2
FORCES AND MOTION
Aerodynamics
The NZSS race team is looking to redesign the aerodynamic wing on the back of their F1 Car. As
the race team’s Scientific Analyst, your job is to give the designers some suggestions based on
scientific evidence. The key point the designers would like you to investigate is what effect the
length of the wing has on drag (remember that ‘drag’ is the term used to describe friction created
by air or water).
As air is forced upwards, the wing
is pushed downwards. This down
force helps the car maintain grip
when cornering at high speeds.
Scientists studying aerodynamics often use wind
tunnels to help them see the flow of air as it
travels over an object. Small streams of smoke
are used to make the flow of air visible. Large
fans can be used to simulate various speeds.
Aim: To investigate the relationship between wing size and drag.
Equipment: Stopwatch, 4 paper helicopters (opposite page), a paper clip, scissors, metre ruler.
Method: 1. Cut out and assemble the four helicopters shown on the opposite page. Attach the
paper clip to one of the helicopters.
2. One member of your group holds the helicopter at a height of 2 metres.
3. On the count of three, the person holding the helicopter drops it, while another
member of your group times how long it takes for the helicopter to hit the floor.
4. Record your results in the table below.
5. Repeat each drop three times.
6. Repeat steps 2 - 5 using the other helicopter models.
Results:
Wing span
(cm)
Time to fall
(s)
Time to fall
(s)
Time to fall
(s)
Average time
(s)
Speed = d/t
(m s-1)
3
4
5
6
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