This lesson is best done once students have been introduced to Newton's Laws:
First Law - objects will stay stopped or in constant motion until a force acts on them (which might make them stop or start or change direction)
Second Law - F=ma: for a constant force a smaller mass will accelerate more than a larger mass; a greater force will make the same mass accelerate more.
Third Law - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; when an object pushes on another it gets pushed back with equal force.
Airplanes nicely demonstrate Newtons Laws with wing shapes. And every kid should know how to make a paper airplane!
Students make and fly paper airplanes, with discussion of the forces/Newton's Laws that keep them in the air.
Lift is from Newton's Third Law - as the airflows off the wing it flows downwards. This downwards flow of air pushes back up on the wing, making a lifting force.
Adding flaps to the wings change the airflow over the wing, and the direction of the force from Newton's 3rd Law, so the flight path is changed.
The hoopster also has air flow over its cardboard hoops, to give it lift.
Fun for students to vary the design and see how it changes the flight.
But I have not found any details of the airflow anywhere to explain exactly where lift and action/reaction occur with the two hoops, and why it spins as it flies.
The Third Law is dramatically shown with a rocket, either the film canister rocket or Baking soda and vinegar rocket demonstration.
A chemical reaction is used to build up gas pressure inside the rocket. As the gas exits downwards, it pushes on the rocket and makes it go upwards - Third Law of action and reaction. Note that rockets work in space - the exhaust does not push on the ground or the air for the rocket to take off, but on the rocket itself.
Newton's Second Law F=ma can be demonstrated in a rocket in two ways. We can either increase the force which increases the speed it goes up - this can be achieved by pushing the cork into the demonstration rocket harder (more gas pressure builds up before the cork exits). Or we can decrease the mass - turn the demonstration rocket upside down for launching and with the same amount of baking soda and vinegar (same force) the smaller mass of the cork means that it is shot way higher than the greater mass of the whole rocket. (Note that it is best to use a dry cork, and dry the inside rim of the bottle, for this comparison as a wet cork slides out more easily. Try and push the cork in the same as before.)
Use molecule models to show how the baking soda and vinegar make gas.
Show the chemical reaction for real rockets.
The catapult demonstrates all three Laws - change the ammo weight to see how the same force makes it go further, or the elastic band tension to see how a greater force gives greater acceleration.
The ammo fires because as the catapult arm pushes on the ammo, the ammo pushes back, making it fly.
Balloon rocket activity in the classroom on a string, or outdoors with no string - let it fly free.
Discuss why it flies - the air is under pressure in the balloon so it rushes out of the hole. As it leaves it pushes back on the balloon exerting a force on the balloon which sends it forwards/upwards. Third Law Newton's Laws of action-reaction.
Balancing sculpture demonstrates forces in balance - the sculpture settles where the forces balance each other out.
F1 cars exploit Newton's Laws to optimize their speed.
See image: https://cloud.wikis.utexas.edu/wiki/spaces/RMD/pages/51060060/Backgroun…
For going around corners fast, they have no DRS, as the air flowing off the rear wing pushes the back of the car down, keeping it from sliding off the track (Newton's Third Law). When they are on long straight stretches they use DRS ('drag reduction system'), which reduces the downforce so they can go faster.
