Drag Activity Part Two

Program Information
Transcript
Virginia Standards

Program Information

Series: NASA Connect
Program: Glow with the Flow
Segment Number: 4 (Watch entire program)
Duration: 00:02:36
Year Produced: 2000
Description:

NASA Connect Segment involving students in a classroom activity. The video explores how surface area affects drag.

NASA CONNECT™ is a series of Emmy®-award-winning, math-focused programs. Each program supports the national math, science, and technology standards and has three components that include (1) a 30-minute television broadcast; (2) a companion educator's guide; and (3) an online activity that further explores topics presented in the broadcast. These programs establish a connection between the math, science, and technology concepts taught in the classroom to those same concepts used everyday by NASA researchers.

For more information visit: http://connect.larc.nasa.gov/

Transcript

Now let's head back
to First Flight Middle School
and see what would happen
if we changed the frontal
surface area of an object.

Are you ready, guys?

(girl)
Select and construct
five disks.

Look at one of the disks.

Make a prediction,
and write it down.

Now calculate the actual area.

Are you close?

Repeat these steps
for each disk.

Before beginning the experiment,
construct the test track.

Choose any disk
and place it on the front
of the test vehicle like this.

Place the vehicles
on the start line.

Make sure the string
is nice and tight.

Predict the distance that
the test vehicle will travel
when the fan is turned on,
and write it down.

I predict it will travel
about 42 centimeters.

I predict it'll travel
50 centimeters.

(girl)
Turn the fan on high
for approximately ten seconds.

This is only a suggested time.

Your time will depend on
the fan speed and test vehicles.

Now measure the distance
that the test vehicle
moved backward,
and record it
on the data sheet.

Calculate the difference
between the predicted distance
and the actual distance,
and record your answer.

How did you do?

Now test the other disks.

Which shape had
the least amount of drag?

(all)
Tetrahedron.

This shape?

Now look at your data from
the second experiment we did
on surface area.

How can we test
your predictions?

Put the shapes on the drag stand
and see what happens.

Great. Let's do it.

We'd like to thank the AIAA
student mentors
from North Carolina
State University.

Virginia Standards