Gyrocopter Experiment to Promote Scientific Inquiry

Aidan Warren
Branden Baird
Jami-Lee Fiorito
EDUC 4200
Mr. D. Jones
September 17, 2018
Abstract

In groups of 3 during class time, a cutout paper gyrocopter with instructions was
assigned. After its construction, the groups were instructed to test the gyrocopter in 10 trials
with two conditions, a control and a modified gyrocopter. The instructions for this experiment
were intentionally vague. This is because the main purpose of this assignment is to promote
scientific inquiry and critical thinking. The experimental was followed by a write up to
promote team discussion, collaboration, and formative feedback.

Introduction

Paper gyrocopters are an effective tool to teach high school students not only about
physics but about the scientific process itself. The gyrocopters themselves are easy to build
as they only require paper and a paperclip and there are many possible ways to manipulate
them. Because of this, students can decide on ways to manipulate them then make
predictions about how those changes might affect various things. Using this type of teaching
strategy is advantageous because when information is learned only through memorization it
is typically not retained for a long time and can actually inhibit the learning of new concepts
(Burcu, 2018).
As a means of testing for ourselves how good of an education tool this can be, we
built two gyrocopters, one with slightly longer wings than the other, and tested whether this
change would affect drop time. We predicted that because of the greater surface area on the
wings in the first experimental group, the gyrocopter with the longer wings would take a
longer average time to fall than the average fall time of the control group.

Research Question

How will a modification to the control condition change the results after 10 additional
trials?

Hypothesis

If the length of the wing is increased, then the greater surface area will result in a
longer drop time (a decreased velocity).

List of Materials
● Paper template
● Paperclip
● Scissors
● Timer
● Meter stick

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Method

For the purposes of the experiment, two gyrocopters were built. The first gyrocopter
(Figure 1) was an exact cut out of the template provided in class. The second gyrocopter
(Figure 2) was similar, but the cutout was extended by roughly 1.5 cm to make the wings
slightly longer. To control internal validity, the same paper clip was used for both
gyrocopters in order to keep their weight more consistent. For the first condition (the control),
the gyrocopter dropped straight down and began rotating quickly just before hitting the
ground. The majority of the weight was provided by the paper clip at the bottom end of the
gyrocopter. The second condition had a similar flight to the control where it dropped straight
down but began rotating earlier than the control.

Figure 1. ​Condition 1: Gyrocopter which was an exact cut out of the template provided in
class and acted as the control. Paper clip attached to the gyrocopter base.

Figure 2. ​Condition 2: Gyrocopter with both wings extended by 1.5 cm compared to the
control. All other variables were the same as the control.

Each Gyrocopter was dropped 10 times from a height of 1.67 meters. There was a
visual marker on the wall in order to make sure the drop height was consistent. The
gyrocopter was held by the stem with two fingers before being dropped and our hands were
quickly moved out of the way to avoid interfering with its path to the floor. A smartphone was
used to measure the drop time of each trial.

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Results

The average drop time for the modified gyrocopter was 1.32 seconds which was
slightly longer than the controls average drop time of 1.18 seconds. The results of each
individual trial are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. ​Drop time, average drop time, and velocity of control and longer wing build of a
gyrocopter at a height of 1.67m.
Measurement Control Longer wings

Drop time (s) 1.18 1.36

1.36 1.39

1.17 1.23

1.22 1.49

1.06 1.27

1.00 1.29

1.26 1.30

1.26 1.40

1.00 1.23

1.30 1.19

Average drop time (s) 1.18 1.32

Velocity (m/s) 1.42 1.27

Conclusion

We found that the drop time for the gyrocopter with slightly longer wings was longer
than for the control. These results support our hypothesis which was that the increase in
surface area on the wings should slow down the gyrocopter on its way to the ground.
The team discussion was initially about what types of variables could be adjusted and
what variables can be measured. When we decided on measuring the drop time, we
decided that calculating the velocity of the gyrocopters dropping to the floor would provide us
with an averaged variable that could, in theory, be measured against the fall time measured
by other groups, regardless of how high their gyrocopter was dropped from. When writing
up the lab report, we agreed upon making a group google page that could be edited by any
members of the group. The purpose of using this type of program is it allows for formative
feedback and results in a final product that every group member can contribute to.
There were a few sources of experimental error during the experiment. The first
source of experimental error is the accuracy to which we could measure the drop time. We
were simply using our cell phones to measure drop time and our reaction time in starting and

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stopping the timer was probably only accurate to about 2 tenths of a second. This is likely
the cause of most of the variation in the numbers we saw. Another potential source of
experimental error is the drop technique. While we tried to keep the method and height in
which we drop the gyrocopter consistent, there were likely some minor variations between
drops. Finally, the gyrocopters themselves likely wore out a bit over the course of the
experiment as they hit the ground over and over again. This likely caused their shape, and
therefore aerodynamics, to change slightly and affect drop time.
The purpose of this experiment was to encourage scientific inquiry, helping future
science teachers appreciate that this type of learning promotes a richer understanding of the
material. It allows students to be more than just passive recipients of new knowledge;
rather, it allows students to be actively involved in the scientific process itself. Safety was
discussed prior to the experimentation and it was decided that the gyrocopters would be
dropped from a standing position and that nobody was to stand or climb on anything (i.e. a
chair or a desk).

Sample Calculations

Average velocity of control:

v elocity = displacement/time = (1.67 m)/(1.18 s) = 1.42 m/s

References
Burcu, A. (2018). Views and experiences of pre-service teachrs on the use of stories in
teaching science. ​Journal Of Baltic Science Education, Vol 17, Iss 4, Pp 605-619
(2018)​, (4), 605.