Name:
Period:
Scientific Method Lab – Paper Whirligig
This activity is intended to be an introduction to the processes scientists and engineers
use to investigate problems and design solutions. It should also give you information
about how to “wind your way” through your own experiments.
We will start by making a paper whirligig and observing its “flight” behavior. Further
exploration will allow you to investigate various factors affecting the whirligig “flight.” The
lab ends with an engineering challenge to design a whirligig with the longest time of
descent.
Glossary of words used in conducting experiments:
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problem – a question that can be answered by experimentation and is the driving
force behind science and engineering
hypothesis – an educated prediction about how the independent variable will
affect the dependent variable stated in a way that is verifiable (this should be an ifthen statement)
variable – a factor in an experiment that changes or could be changes
independent variable – the variable that is manipulated by the experimenter,
also known as the manipulated variable
dependent variable – the variable that responds to the independent variable, also
known as the responding variable
control – the standard for comparison in an experiment
constant – a factor in an experiment that is kept the same in all trials
Procedure
Part 1
1. Cut out and fold the whirligig according to the directions on the template.
2. Launch your whirligig and observe its flight behavior. Record your observations to
the questions in the space provided.
a. What do you notice about the way the whirligig flies?
b. Do the whirligigs turn in a certain direction?
c. Can you make the whirligig rotate in the opposite direction?
d. Why does one student’s whirligig fly straight down while another’s moves
side to side?
e. Do all of the whirligigs remain in the air for the same length of time?
f. Can you count the number of rotations your whirligig makes as it descends to
the floor?
3. Stand on a chair or counter and drop the whirligig from a height of 2 meters.
4. Record the time it takes the whirligig to hit the floor.
5. Repeat steps 3 – 4 four more times and record the times below.
6. Find the average time it took the whirligig to fall from a distance of 2 meters.
Data & Observations
Part 1
Observations:
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Average
Time
(s)
Time of
fall (s)
Procedure
Part 2
1. Discuss with your partner (s) what variables you think influence the time that it
takes the whirligig to hit the ground (ex. rotor length, mass, body length, angle of
rotors, type of paper, shape of rotors, etc.).
2. Generate your own procedure to test the effect of your selected variable on the
descent time (your goal is to keep it in the air for as long as possible). You must
complete a minimum of 5 trials for each change in the manipulated variable.
3. Identify and complete the Variables, Hypothesis, Experimental Setup, Procedure
and Data and Observations sections.
4. Complete your experiment and record the necessary data.
5. Work on the conclusion questions.
Variables
1. Identify the variable and constants in your experiment.
a. What is the manipulated (independent) variable?
b. What is the responding (dependent) variable?
c. What are the constants?
d. How are you changing the manipulated (independent) variable? (IF)
e. How do you think the responding (dependent) variable will change? (THEN)
Hypothesis (If…,then…)
Experimental Setup (Draw and label a sketch of your experiment)
Procedure (Record your step by step procedure here)
Data and Observations (Design a data table and record your measurements here)
Conclusion Questions
1. Discuss the importance of manipulating one variable while keeping the others
constant.
2. Why was it important to drop the whirligig five times and calculate the average?
3. What modifications did you make to the basic whirligig design? Justify your
modifications using the data collected.
4. If you were to design another experiment in order to further increase the time of
descent, what would you do? Briefly describe your idea in the space below.