Magic Propeller

SCIENCE CONCEPT:

When horizontal and vertical vibrations are applied to a propeller it will be changed into circular vibrations. That is the basis of how the propeller rotors on an helicopter.

STUDENT OBJECTIVE:

The student will make a propeller and test the horizontal and vertical vibrations can be changed to circular vibrations. The student will also experiment with moving the propeller in reverse by placing their finger on the other side of the stick.

OVERVIEW:

In this activity, the student will make a magic propeller out of a pencil, sticky tape, cardboard, a straight pin, and an ice cream stick. After the student makes the magic propeller they will experiment with it to test the vibrations horizontally and vertically.

PREPARATION TIME:

10 minutes.

LESSON TIME:

20 minutes.

TEACHER PREP:

Gather the materials that you will need for the experiment. You will need a pencil with an eraser, scissors, stick tape, thin cardboard, a straight pin, and an ice cream stick.

WORDS TO KNOW:

propeller

horizontal

vertical

vibrations

circular

TEACHER TEXT:

The propeller rotor of a helicopter is a very important part of a helicopter. The propeller helps to raise the helicopter into the air. A helicopter is very different from an airplane. One of the biggest differences is that, unlike an airplane, a helicopter has wings that whirl around. This allows helicopters to do many things that airplanes cannot.

A helicopter can hover in mid-air without moving, and it can fly backwards and sideways. Because it can rise straight up into the air and land straight down, a helicopter doesn't need a long runway for take-off and landings. The helicopter's unusual way of flying makes it a very useful aircraft, and many organizations use helicopters for many different purposes.

A helicopter, however, does not have all of the advantages of an airplane. It cannot fly as fast, and it is more difficult to pilot. Some pilots say that flying a helicopter is like sitting on top of a very large ball that keeps trying to tip over.

Helicopters come in many sizes and shapes. They can be as small as the home-built Scorpion, which weighs 800 pounds and carries 2 people, or as large as the Russian Mil-12. The Mil-12 has two 6,500 horsepower gas turbine engines. It can lift more than 25 tons of cargo or carry 65 passengers.

Early helicopters looked rather awkward with many oddly shaped parts sticking out in all directions. Today helicopters are much improved in design, more streamlined, and much easier to fly. The first passenger carrying helicopters were designed about the same time as the first airplanes. But because airplanes were simpler to build, they were ready for flying before helicopters were. Inventors continued to design helicopters because they saw the need for a machine that could take off straight up and land straight down.

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Last modified: Sat Dec 20 15:07:46 PST 1997