Too much material will weigh you down. The sixth segment in a series of 22 highlights how weight affects a plane. Pupils learn that engineers take the properties of materials, including weight, when designing something. 

Concepts

weight, measurement, alloys, mass, airplanes, gravity, technology resources

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Additional Tags

alloy, forces of flight, mass, weight

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Instructional Ideas

• Research materials people use to construct planes
• Bring in several types of materials with the same dimensions and compare the weights

Classroom Considerations

• Assumes the class knows the four forces acting upon an airplane

Pros

• Provides assessment questions to use before, during, and after the lesson
• Includes suggestions for extending the lesson

Cons

• None

Common Core

6.NS.B.2 6.NS.B.3