How do helicopter seeds travel?

Answer 1

Seeds from Maple trees grow in the shape of a wing and can "fly" when it falls from the tree and the winds can take it long distances.

The seed grows with the seed at one end and a thing, leafy wing that grows to one side. When it dries, it becomes very light and stiff. The seed will drop off the tree and as it falls, the "wing" catches the air passing over it and causes it to spin. The spinning gets faster and will hold the seed in the air. If a breeze catches it, the seed can fly sideways and up higher.


Real Helicopters use this same principal. When a real helicopter turns off its engine(or the engine quites), the helicopter begins go descend. If the pilot sets the rotor blades at the right angle, then as the up flow of air passes over the rotor blades, the blades will turn due to the air flow. This is called "auto-rotation".


The link below gives students a plan to make your own Seed Helicopter.




Link for students: http://www.grc.NASA.gov/WWW/K-12/TRC/Aeronautics/Maple_Seed.html