September 27, 2023 - Continuing with our "Forces of Flight" learning, Room B1 Engineers were back at work building a rubber band-powered helicopter. When they finished constructing, the students went outside to launch their helicopters.
Energy is stored (potential) in the rubber band by winding the propeller. When flown, the rubber band rapidly releases its energy (kinetic) by unwinding, which turns the propeller and LIFTS the helicopter into the air, overcoming GRAVITY. The fuselage creates DRAG which slows the helicopter and allows the propeller to spin faster.
The students designed and tested their own fuselage for their helicopters. At the end of the project, Grace was the winner because her helicopter stayed in the air the longest. Congratulations.
We had a lot of fun learning the forces of flight in this STEM project.

RUBBER-BAND HELICOPTERS