Friday, September 02, 2005

Legos, Popsicle Sticks and Aerodynamics

For my physics class today, I tried to create a model airplane out of paper, popsicle sticks and legos. The popsicles and legos made a frame that looked like an I when it was completed. It was held together by scotch tape. The paper had one side taped to the other. And when I threw it, the most amazing thing happened.

It dropped like a rock.

Oh well, time for me to come up with another design. I need to find a cheap way to design an airfoil so I can do my experiment with the camber. My hypothesis for this project is bigger camber means bigger lift. Obviously, its been done, but its still my project. This design failed, but I now know some of its problems. It was heavy in the front. It wasn't stable and it wasn't sturdy. The camber may have been too big.

Here are some pictures of what not to build:









I have more ideas in mind to try out. I don't have the tools to make a proper airfoil out of wood so I have to try to work with paper and other light-weight material.

In other news, Katrina's blew New Orleans to crap. That sucks. I wish I could do more for those people living down there. Wow, several nasty hurricanes and a tsunami in the last two/three years. Thats gotta be a sign of something bad.

As you are probably well aware, school has started for me. This is the sign in the front:



You can check out any time but you can never leave!

Send the fleet to the far side of the moon. There they will stay untill called for...

J Kuhl Signing Off