Flight is miraculous, and sending humans in planes or rockets into the sky seems unimaginably dangerous. However through extensive study in physics and aerodynamics, the human race pulled it off over 100 years ago and has even made it safe! Whether it be in a space shuttle, on a unicorn, or the back of a dragon, many young minds fantasize about flight. Therefore I wanted to find an experiment that was simple yet rewarding and fun.
While searching the Internet, I stumbled upon a “tumblewing” experiment earlier last year and it was received with great enthusiasm by the kids visiting the museum.
The Tumblewing is a single winged piece of paper cut and folded so that when released from an elevation, it does numerous consecutive and entertaining back flips. It can have a very predictable flight path, so it’s fun to try and set out “landing zones” to aim for from above. The kids get to adjust the Tumblewing so it falls in a controlled spiral, or a single gentle curve to one direction, or you can even attempt the perfectly straight path.
An expansion of the experiment is to try and get sustained flight by providing a cushion of rising air from a large piece of cardboard. You have to release the Tumblewing and walk with it, and have the board angled so it pushes air up to the Tumblewing. This is very tricky and hard to get the hang of, so don’t expect it on the first attempt. The website (http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/tumblewing/index.htm) has additional information on the construction and testing of the Tumblewing, so go check it out. It’s a really fun and entertaining experiment pertaining to aerodynamics and physics, and is appropriate for ages five and up.
Watch these videos and make your own tumbling tumblewing!
Pattern to Make Tumbewing (download PDF)
You can find this activity at http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/tumblewing/index.htm. Check out the homepage — it has a lot of really fun experiments for many different age groups.
Connecting Arkansas Museums To You 