Lesson 7 Science Everywhere

A Simple Experiment
The Science of Flight
You can see for yourself how the force of lift works.
Have you ever wondered what makes a kite fly, or
Cut a strip of paper about 4 cm wide. Hold one end
what a kite and an airplane have in common? The
of the strip near your lips, and blow slowly and
truth is that they both rely on the same science ―
evenly over the paper. The other end of the strip will
the science of flight.
rise. This is because the air blown out over the top
Basics of Flight
of the paper moves quickly, so its pressure is lower

There are four main forces involved in flight: lift, than the still air under the paper. The still air, with a

weight, thrust, and drag. Lift is created by the higher pressure, pushes the paper upward into the

difference in air pressure between the air flowing lower pressure air.
over an airplane's wings and the air flowing under

them. Lift is opposed by weight, which is the force

Why a Kite Flies
of gravity that is constantly pulling the airplane
A kite flies in the same way as an airplane does. To
down. If the amount of lift is greater than the
make a kite fly, it is sometimes necessary to run with
amount of weight, the airplane will rise. At the same
it behind you. This creates lift and pushes the kite
time, thrust is created by the airplane's engines and
up. Once the kite gets up in the sky where the wind
propellers pushing the airplane forward. Opposed to
is strong enough, you can stop running, and the kite
that force is drag, which is the air pushing the
will fly. Instead of engines and propellers, the tension
airplane back. If thrust is greater than drag, the
from someone pulling on the kite's string provides
airplane will move forward. The interaction between
thrust for a kite. For a kite to remain flying, the
these four forces makes airplanes fly.
amount of lift needs to be equal to the amount of
Airplanes are designed with these forces in mind. The
weight so that those forces balance each other.
engines and propellers provide thrust to move
Likewise, thrust and drag must also be equivalent.
airplanes forward. The wings are shaped so that air

has to travel faster over them than under them.

According to Bernoulli's principle, an increase in the

speed of air results in a decrease in pressure. Thus,

air traveling faster creates lower pressure above the

wings, and the higher pressure under the wings

pushes the airplane up, creating lift.

The Uniqueness of Bangpaeyeon Further Reading

Bangpaeyeon, the most popular Korean kite, looks Birds, Kites, and Power Lines

simple, but is the toughest of all kites flown in Korea. Why can a bird stand on a power line and not get

This rectangular kite is traditionally made from five shocked? This has to do with how electricity works.

bamboo sticks and is covered with traditional Korean Electricity flows between two points that differ in

paper. It is always made so that the width and length voltage. Since there is no voltage difference between

are in a 2-by-3 proportion. Unlike kites in other the bird's feet, electricity does not flow through the

countries, it has a circular hole in the center, with a bird's body. If a bird touches two wires that differ in

diameter half the width of the kite. What this hole voltage, however, electricity will flow through the bird

does is control the air. and will probably give it an electric shock.

The push of air on the front of the kite is greatly

reduced because some of the wind passes through If your kite or balloon got caught on a power line

the hole to the back. This allows you to turn the kite and you touched the string, what would happen? Of

quickly. Without the hole, it would not be easy to course, electricity would travel down the string and

control. In addition, the kite is not easily damaged by into your body on its way to the ground. This would

a strong wind. mean a serious shock! So keep in mind that you

As you can see from the example of the kite, things must not fly kites near power lines. Basic science will

we use every day often act in accordance with help you stay safe near electricity and can answer

interesting principles of science. Make sure you think puzzling questions about electricity.

about these principles at work in your daily life.

A Way to Increase Stability: A Tail

A tail is sometimes added to a kite. It can help make

a kite fly more stably by adding not just some weight

but also drag to its lower end. The tail should have

the right length, though. Adding a short tail, for

example, a 10 cm tail, will make the kite spin and roll

around a lot. Adding a longer tail, such as a 100 cm

tail, can help the kite fly well, allowing it to go high

without rolling very much. Our ancestors knew all this

and made the tail the right length.