Assessment 2-3
Assessment 2-3
Comparing Things That Fly
There has been much discussion in this section about the similarities between airplanes and birds. In fact, many of the very early flying devices were modeled directly on what was observed in birds. Of course, today's designs for flying machines are much more advanced, but some common guiding principles exist.
Choose an aircraft (either a plane or a helicopter) and compare it to any type of bird that flies. You must identify the parts of an aircraft. You must identify adaptations of a bird that enable it to fly. You must demonstrate the similarities and differences between the aircraft and the bird.
You may answer the questions on the assignment sheet or hand this assignment is as a written report or powerpoint.
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Your informative "Comparing Things that Fly" project should include the following:
- A description or labelled diagram of the various parts of the aircraft
- A description or labelled diagram of the various adaptations of the bird that enable flight
- An explanation of how the ailerons, elevators, rudder, and stabilizer work on an airplane
- Five examples of how the airplane lifts, descends, rolls, and turns left or right in the air using the terms: ailerons, elevators, rudder. You must use each of these terms at least once. You can use more than one term to describe the action your plane is taking.
- An explanation of how the aircraft uses the forces of flight (lift, drag, gravity, and thrust)
- An explanation of how the bird uses the forces of flight (lift, drag, gravity, and thrust)
- A description of what the bird and the aircraft have in common
- A description of how the bird and the aircraft are different
Assessment 2-3
Click here to download Assessment 2-3 Comparing Things That Fly. Read this carefully so that you understand the expectations for this assessment. Click here for a printer-friendly version of the file.