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Why does a heavier paper airplane fly further than a lighter paper airplane?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
The answer to this question is a matter of some fairly simple physics which I will try to explain to you.
First, you need to understand that most paper airplanes are not really airplanes. Airplanes fly because the shape of the wing produces lift; paper airplanes mostly fly as projectiles, meaning that they fly because you throw them.
The first reason that the lighter airplane might not fly as far is in the design. Typically, the lighter paper airplane will have larger wings, and therefore, more drag. Since it is virtually impossible to make the paper airplane perfectly symmetrical, one of the wings has more drag which causes the airplane to spin and crash short of its maximum possible distance.
The second reason is also related to the design. If you have a light airplane with more drag and a heavy airplane with less drag, the heavy airplane can fly much more easily. This is because the heavier airplane has less drag as well as more momentum to "push" through the air. On this note, a piece of paper crumpled into a ball will fly further than most paper airplanes I have seen just because is has lots of mass for the level of drag it induces. The crumpled piece of paper also will probably fly much straighter that the paper airplane too, just because it is fairly uniform in shape. At this point, we are completely ignoring lift; but at such a small scale with such light material, it works better that way due to the reasons above. Of course, if you put engines and control surfaces on the paper structure, you change the game entirely. Now it has to fly with lift instead of as a projectile otherwise it will crash because it has no control. This explains why real airplanes are not just big balls of metal.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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Does lighter paper fly farther that heavier paper?
Heavy paper flys the farthest and the light paper flys the least , because the heavier paper has more inertia thus making them fly further.
Which flies paper airplane or foil airplane?
Paper, because it is much lighter, and a foil airplane will take up much more mass.
Why a heavier paper airplane fly further than a lighter paper airplane?
The answer to this question is a matter of some fairly simple physics which I will try to explain to you. First, you need to understand that most paper airplanes are not really airplanes. Airplanes fly because the shape of the wing produces lift; paper airplanes mostly fly as projectiles, meaning that they fly because you throw them. The first reason that the lighter airplane might not fly as far is in the design. Typically, the lighter paper airplane will have larger wings, and therefore, more drag. Since it is virtually impossible to make the paper airplane perfectly symmetrical, one of the wings has more drag which causes the airplane to spin and crash short of its maximum possible distance. The second reason is also related to the design. If you have a light airplane with more drag and a heavy airplane with less drag, the heavy airplane can fly much more easily. This is because the heavier airplane has less drag as well as more momentum to "push" through the air. On this note, a piece of paper crumpled into a ball will fly further than most paper airplanes I have seen just because is has lots of mass for the level of drag it induces. The crumpled piece of paper also will probably fly much straighter that the paper airplane too, just because it is fairly uniform in shape. At this point, we are completely ignoring lift; but at such a small scale with such light material, it works better that way due to the reasons above. Of course, if you put engines and control surfaces on the paper structure, you change the game entirely. Now it has to fly with lift instead of as a projectile otherwise it will crash because it has no control. This explains why real airplanes are not just big balls of metal.
How does the type of paper airplane affect how far it goes?
the lighter the paper the easier the lift.Heavey paper will drop quicker.
Which paper airplane flies further the dart or the custom?
custom
How are paper airplanes affected by type of paper?
The kind of paper chosen to make a paper airplane affects its weight. The best paper for making airplane is the light but firm paper. Firm paper prevents the paper plane from crumbling in the wind.
Will a crumbled up airplane fly further then a regular paper airplane?
No , a crumpled up airplane will have problems with the air not flowing smoothly across the wings .
Does the weight affect the flight of a paper airplane?
The weight, if concentrated towards the paper airplane's front, will make the plane a stunt plane. If balanced, the plane will be a glider or a dart. The Paper Aeronautics Association (http://www.paperaeronautics.org/tipsforagoodplane) have more tips on their website. it will work
Why would a paper airplane go further than another?
beacause it has air loaded
How does the mass of the piece of paper compare with the mass of the paper airplane?
The peice of paper compares to the paper airplane because they both have the same mass. Whether a paper is flat,folded in half or is shaped into a fancy paper boat it will always have the same amount of mass.
Does the density of paper affect the flight of a paper airplane?
The heavier weight of a thicker paper will affect the range of the flight, and different folding characteristics and stiffness will affect the aerodynamics.
Dose the size of a paper airplane depend on how far they go?
the longer a paper air plane gets up until 13in the further it flys.
