Wing Thing
Fold two paper planes with different wing profiles, fly them under the same conditions, and find out which design cuts through air resistance better — then keep changing variables until you understand why.
5-12 yrs
Easy
10
min
Stage 1-3
Mission Briefing.
Designed by Darin Carr (BSc, DipEd)
NESA Accredited Teacher Chemistry & Physics Specialist
Creator of the LAB™ Learning System
Alex
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Wing Thing
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NESA Accredited Teacher
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High school chemistry & physics specialist 30+ years
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The Crazy Scientist in primary schools — 15 years
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International conference presenter on science education
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Creator of the LAB™ Learning System
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Curriculum aligned: NSW Science & Technology K–6 (2024)
A picture is worth a thousand words — check this out and see if you can spot the science hiding in plain sight.
Mission Equipment
• 2 sheets of A4 paper per person (or paper plane kit sheets)
• Tape measure or measuring tape
• Masking tape (for the launch line)
• Pencil and recording sheet
• 1–2 paper clips (optional, for further investigation)
• Flat, open floor space at least 5 metres long
Let’s Investigate
1
Get your planes
This experiment works with any paper plane kit. If using a kit, use two different included designs as Plane A and Plane B. If no kit, students fold a dart (Plane A) and a glider (Plane B) from A4 paper using the instructions in the steps below.
3
Make Plane A
Make Plane A (the dart): fold the paper in half lengthways, fold both top corners to meet the centre line, fold the resulting triangular edges to the centre again, then fold each wing down — narrow, pointed nose.
5
Make your prediction
Before you throw a single plane — write down which design you think will travel further and why.
Does a narrow wing or a wide wing win against air resistance?
Commit to your prediction before you find out.
7
Test plane B
Same thrower, same throwing motion, three launches. Measure and record each distance.
The fair test depends on keeping everything identical except the plane design.
9
Investigating further
Try clipping a paper clip onto the nose of the plane that lost.
Does the extra nose weight change the result?
Now try bending the wing tips of Plane B slightly upward. Launch again. Record what changes.
2
Set Up Your Launch Line
Stick a piece of masking tape on the floor as your launch line.
Mark it clearly — every flight must start from behind this line.
Measure 1 metre from the line and mark it too, so short flights are easy to measure.
4
Make Plane B
Make Plane B (the glider): fold in half lengthways, fold just the top corners slightly inward, then fold wings down flat and wide. If using a kit, use the two different designs provided.
6
Test plane A
The same person throws Plane A three times using the same throwing motion — same arm, same angle, same effort.
Measure from the launch line to where the nose lands each time. Record all three distances.
8
Calculate your averages
Add up the three distances for Plane A and divide by three.
Do the same for Plane B.
Which average is higher? Was your prediction right?
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The Crazy Scientist LAB Learning System™
Every experiment follows The Crazy Scientist Lab Learning System™ — a simple way to help kids think like real scientists.
We
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LINK to what they already know,
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ACTIVATE curiosity through hands-on discovery
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BUILD understanding that actually sticks.
Have you ever stuck your hand out of a moving car window? What happened when you held your hand flat — palm facing down — like a wing?
What about when you turned your palm to face forward, straight into the wind? That invisible pushing force has a name, and it acts on every object moving through air.
Today you're going to find out exactly how the shape of a wing decides how much of it your plane has to fight through.
• Hold your two planes side by side before you fly them. Look at the wing shape of each. Without testing yet — which one do you predict will fly further?
• After your first flight, what did you notice about how each plane moved through the air? Did one slow down faster than the other?
• Did one tumble or wobble? Did the other seem to hold a straight line?
• What was different about the wing shape of each plane? How much surface area did each wing have?
• If more surface area means more air pushing back, how did that show up in your results?
• Why do you think some planes glide further even though they move more slowly?
• What would happen if you added a paper clip to the nose of each plane — would more weight at the front help or hurt the flight?
• Real fighter jets have swept-back narrow wings. Commercial passenger planes have wide, straight wings. Why might they need different shapes for different jobs?
"Want the full teacher guide? The Crazy Scientist Lab includes classroom delivery tips, how to manage the WOW moment, differentiation for Stage 2 & 3, — ready to teach tomorrow."
Think Like a Scientist
Scientists don't just do ONE experiment; they change one part of the experiment (independent variable) and then see how it affects another part of the experiment
(dependent variable)
Change ONE variable and test again.
Wing profile — narrow dart vs. wide glider (which shape creates more drag and does more drag always mean less distance?)
Nose weight — no paper clip vs. one clip vs. two clips (how does shifting the centre of mass affect flight path stability?)
🧪 Try it! Change ONE thing and test again. What did you discover?
Dr Puddledrip’s Science Tip
Want to go deeper? Tap a section below to explore. ▼
The Science Behind It
Why didn’t both planes fly the same distance?
Every paper plane pushes through the air as it flies.
Air pushes back.
Scientists call this force drag.
Different wing shapes create different amounts of drag, which changes how far a plane can travel.
Why does wing shape matter?
Some wings are narrow and cut through the air easily.
Some wings are wider and stay in the air longer.
Neither design is always “best.”
The best wing depends on what you want the plane to do.
Why did the paper clip change the flight?
Adding weight changes the balance of the plane.
A small change in weight can make a plane fly straighter, wobble less, or dive toward the ground.
Aircraft designers carefully balance every aircraft they build.
Real-World Connection
Engineers use different wing designs for different jobs.
A fighter jet, glider and passenger plane all have different wing shapes because they are designed to do different things.
The same idea applies to your paper planes.
Think Like A Scientist
What would happen if you changed:
The wing shape?
The amount of weight on the nose?
The throwing angle?
The size of the wings?
Test one change at a time and see what happens.
Want More Investigations?
Great Investigations Start With Great Questions
Inside The Crazy Scientist LAB™ you’ll unlock investigations such as:
🔒 Why do fighter jets have swept-back wings?
🔒 Could a paper plane fly further than a drone?
🔒 How did the Wright Brothers invent controlled flight?
🔒 Which wing shape is best for carrying cargo?
Try next
See how stored energy and launch force combine with wing design → [Launch Lab]
Investigate how changing mass and balance point affects glide distance → [The Ghost Glider]
Extension: G&T Years 5 & 6
What is air resistance?
Air is made of tiny particles — molecules — that are always moving. When an object moves through air, it has to push those molecules out of the way. The molecules push back. That pushing-back force is called air resistance, or drag. The faster an object moves, the more molecules it hits per second — so drag increases with speed.
The wider the front surface of an object, the more molecules it hits at once — so drag also increases with surface area. Your paper planes experienced both of these effects at the same time.
Vocabulary
Drag
The force that air pushes back against a moving object. Also called air resistance. Larger surface area and higher speed both increase drag.
Lift
The upward force is created when air moves faster over the top of a wing than under it, producing lower pressure above the wing.
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READY TO TEACH THIS
TOMORROW?
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Teachers often ask:
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What do I do with fast finishers?
What misconceptions will they have?
How do I structure this for a full class?
What syllabus outcomes does it cover?
What do I say when they ask WHY?
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