Air Around Me

10-Minute Activity

Air Around Me

Race car drivers don’t want air under the car, and engineers work hard to minimize that amount. Check out photos of race cars to see how low to the ground they sit. Why? Cars are not airplanes, but they drive fast enough that they could fly. Test your own aerodynamic skills through the art of paper airplanes. Grab paper (use different types) and build a series of different airplanes. Try different shapes, lengths and styles, then gather them for testing. Enlist your family to build planes, too. Once you’ve built them, line up and race. Whose plane can fly the furthest? Highest? Do loops? Don’t forget to try a drag plane: you need paper, a straw and invisible tape.