On Friday, April 4th, the Boise State Microgravity
Team returned to Mountain View Elementary School for another fun day filled
with inquiry, observations, designing, and redesigning.
The fifth graders were introduced to new
vocabulary terms: independent, dependent, and controlled variables. They were
then challenged to apply their new knowledge of variables to a simple loop plane experiment, constructed from a straw, two loops
of paper, and tape.
They flew their planes and took detailed observations in
their notebooks.
The students then redesign their plane by changing one
independent variable (number of loops, shape of loop, number of straws, etc.), in an attempt to increase the distance the plane traveled (dependent variable). They were required to keep everything else consistent with
the original design (controlled variables).
Two students tied for the title of
"Farthest Flying Loop Plane"
Way to go students! See you next week.
