You will need:
Paper, scissors, a paperclip, some tape and markers or colouring pencils
Instructions
Make three incisions on the print out that marked by the dotted lines.
- Fold the bottom right part to the left
- Fold the bottom left part to the right.
- Fold the bottom edge upward. Hold the bottom part with a paper clip.
- Slightly fold the left top part toward and fold the top left part backwards as in the example
The Roto Copter is complete! but you can also colour in or paint your Roto-copter. Throw it forward, holding by the bottom part. The Roto Copter will spin to the ground!
The Rotor-copter uses the principles of lift and drag.
Unlike a balloon, a helicopter is heavier than air and uses an engine to fly and make lift.
What is lift: Lift is the push that lets something move up. It is the force that is the opposite of weight. Everything that flies must have lift. For an aircraft to move upward, it must have more lift than weight. Throwing the roto-copter gives it lift and moves the roto-copter upward or forward.
What is Drag:
Drag is a force that pulls back on something trying to move. Drag provides resistance, making it hard to move. For example, the paper and the paper clip is heavier then air and as it falls it causes drag.
You can read more about lift, drag and aerodynamics on the NASA website
Did you know?
The Helicopter
Leonardo Da Vinci
Whilst most famous for his paintings such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, Leonardo is also renowned in the fields of civil engineering, chemistry, geology, geometry, hydrodynamics, mathematics, mechanical engineering, optics, physics, pyrotechnics, and zoology.
In practice, he greatly advanced the state of knowledge in the fields of anatomy, astronomy, civil engineering, optics, and the study of water (hydrodynamics).
