Paper Plane Distance Experiment: Power & Energy Calculation

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on a mechanical paper plane thrower designed for a CREST award experiment, utilizing a 9V battery and two motors consuming 70mA each. The experiment measures the distance traveled by various paper planes, with results indicating that an A4 75gsm plane travels 4.37m while an A5 60gsm plane travels 2.20m. The user seeks to calculate the energy in joules required for each plane to travel a specified distance, aiming to derive a formula that incorporates weight and grams per square meter (gsm) of the paper. The discussion concludes with suggestions to use work and force over time to determine power.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts such as work, energy, and power
  • Familiarity with electrical components, specifically 9V batteries and motor specifications
  • Knowledge of aerodynamics and how it affects flight distance
  • Basic mathematical skills for manipulating equations involving distance, weight, and energy
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the formula for calculating work done in physics, specifically W = F × d
  • Learn about the relationship between energy, mass, and distance in the context of projectile motion
  • Explore the concept of grams per square meter (gsm) and its impact on paper plane performance
  • Investigate how to derive power from work done over time, particularly in mechanical systems
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, engineering enthusiasts, and educators interested in practical applications of mechanics and energy calculations in experimental setups.

Timizorzom
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Hi,

I'm doing an experiment to get my silver CREST award, in which I've created a mechanical paper plane thrower. I have thrown various types of plane, but all with the same design. The thrower uses a 9V battery, but is more like 6 now. The thrower has two motors, each which take 70mA. The thrower throws consistently with a percentage difference of each throw being <3%, and each plane spends around 0.3s on the launcher before leaving its grasp.

My results are as follows:
A4 75gsm plane weighing 4.7g travels 4.37m
A4 60gsm plane weighing 3.8g travels 3.33m
A5 75gsm plane weighing 2.4g travels 3.80m
A5 60gsm plane weighing 1.9g travels 2.20m

I am trying to find the number of joules each plane takes to get x meters, by finding the j/kg. The j/kg should give me m^2/s^2 which would enable me to work out the power required to throw a 1ton aluminium plane for 1km.
However, no matter how hard i try, i cannot get the equation to work for more than 1 value at a time.

Can anyone come up with an appropriate equation to work out power or energy from distance, weight and other measurable variables?
 
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What is the gsm parameter? grams per square metre of the paper?
 
Yes. i have put the weight next to it anyway just for reference.
 
Well, you should have two formulae, one for each weight.
airplanes.png

OK, hm. You want two parameters, weight and gsm.
 
Should i?
I want to be able to vary the weight to find the power. Surely i would have to fit it in the same equation?
 
To get power, you might divide work (the distance the launcher arm moves multiplied by the integral with respect to time of force as a function of time) by 0.3 s.

The distance a glider flies (for a given amount of work) varies depending, in part, on its aerodynamics.
 
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