If you have been to a park or beach, you have probably seen one of those plastic discs flying through the air. We're not talking about a UFO! We're talking about a Frisbee, or flying disc. You see Frisbees around almost as much as a baseball or football. There are even Frisbee sports like Folf (Frisbee Golf), Frisbee Baseball, Ultimate Frisbee and Guts. Even dogs like to catch Frisbees! There are many reasons why we like Frisbees. Let's take a closer look.

History

What Makes a Frisbee Fly?

Shape is very important. The Frisbee has not changed much since the beginning. It is still light weight, circular,and fairly flat. The edges of the Frisbee are either sloped or rounded. The edges look similar to an airplane wing. This curve on the Frisbee causes lift as the Frisbee is flying through the air.

A Frisbee must spin as it goes through the air. If it does not spin it will soon fall to the ground. The spin keeps the Frisbee steady as it flies through the air. All flying things must have something to keep them stable (steady). Airplanes and bird have tails, rockets have fins. A Frisbee must spin.

A spinning Frisbee will keep going in the direction it is thrown. If there is no spin the Frisbee will soon fall to the ground. To see how this works, look at a spinning gyroscope. Now, grab the ends of the gyroscope with your hands. Try to turn it upside-down. Notice it is difficult to turn upside-down. This same force keeps your Frisbee in the air longer.

Two other things that need to spin are a top and bicycle tires. A top will fall over if it is not spinning. A bicycle will balance very easily if the wheels are turning.