Drag Activity Part One

Program Information
Transcript
Virginia Standards

Program Information

Series: NASA Connect
Program: Glow with the Flow
Segment Number: 2 (Watch entire program)
Duration: 00:02:01
Year Produced: 2000
Description:

NASA Connect Segment involving students in a classroom activity called What A Drag. The video explores how shape 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

Hey, let's conduct
an experiment
very similar
to the Wright brothers',
and test different shapes
for drag.

(girl)
Before starting the experiment,
construct your drag apparatus.

Now let's test
these four shapes for drag.

First, verify that
each of the shapes
has the same amount
of frontal surface area,
and record your information
in the data sheet.

Next, place two shapes on
the drag apparatus, like this.

Turn the fan on low.

Which shape moves closer
to the fan?

That's the one
with the least amount of drag.

Record your observations
and repeat these steps,
using different combinations
of the shapes.

Thanks, Debbie.

Nice job, guys.

Take five, because
we'll be back a little later
to continue this activity.

But first, let's head
to NASA Langley
to see how engineers there
are using algebra
to solve problems with drag.

They use a wind tunnel
instead of a box fan
to test models
with different shapes.

Virginia Standards