Lighter-Than-Air Transportation

WJHS Pathfinder for Exploring Technological Concepts

Assignment

Assessment

Searching the Shelves

Learning Research
Hub

Internet Sites

Assignment Connection Vocabulary Technical Report Visual Display

OBJECTIVES:

1. Examine the history and impact of lighter-than-air transportation.
2. Construct a helium filled blimp
3. Apply the scientific principles buoyancy and density.
Examine their relationship to lighter-than-air transportation

LESSON:

Buoyancy
Mechanics
Density
Propulsion

TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS:

Transportation Systems
Mechanical Systems
Power & Energy Systems

CHALLENGE:

Design, construct and fly a rubber band powered, helium filled, lighter than air
(LTA) vehicle. Your vehicle should fly as far as possible. A ping-pong ball should be
released at a designated target 2 meters from the start.

BACKGROUND:

In 200's BC, a Greek mathematician named Archimedes established the principle
that governs "lighter than air" flight. He stated that in order for an
object to float or "hover," it must displace a weight of fluid exactly equal
to its own weight. In other words, in order for a blimp to "hover", it must
be large enough to displace a weight of air equal to the weight of its skin,
superstructure and gas inside. The gas must be extremely light to accommodate
the other supported materials in the blimp. Helium is an ideal gas for this purpose
because it is the second lightest element and it is not combustible. 1 cubic foot of
helium will lift approximately 1 ounce or 31.103 grams.

CONNECTION VOCABULARY:

Molecule	Volume	Buoyancy	Dirigible
Density	Displacement	Propeller	Gondola
Helium	Hindenberg	Air	Blimp
Hydrogen	Jet Stream	Mass	Rudder

THINK TO YOURSELF:

What do you know?

            1. About blimps?
            2. About helium & hydrogen?
            3. About buoyancy? Density?

What do you need to know to complete this activity?

            1. How does helium create a buoyant force?
          2. What would limit a blimp's ability to "float"?
          3. What materials would work well for forming the blimps envelop?
          4. What shapes are most blimps? Why?
          5. How is volume calculated?

TECHNICAL REPORT:

Each team must summit a technical report detailing the team's problem solving process
as well as the function, history, and impact of lighter than air vehicles. Teams may include

photographs, digital images, computer-generated charts, graphs, drawings, cost accounting information, references, and etc. to enhance their displays. Information should include current feats and applications of lighter than air vehicles. A multimedia report format is recommended.

The technical report must include the following components::

1. Opening credits (team name, logo, school name, etc.).
2. Team Development Journal which must include:

Problems that occurred with design, materials procurement, construction and testing

Solutions to design, materials, construction and testing problems

Daily log of meeting dates, written record of ideas, research, experiments and test

Preliminary sketches

Scaled technical drawings of the completed vehicle.

Research Journal - include, but not limited to, the following:

How and why LTA's hover and operate (explain the math and science concepts)

The historical, social, economical, future and technical impacts of LTA development

3. Career Exploration

Identify at least 5 careers related to the topics explored in this assignment.

VISUAL DISPLAY

Each team must construct a visual display. Contents of the visual display must
include, but are not limited to, the following guidelines and criteria:

A. Maximum display size - 30" deep x 48" wide x 60" high

B. Titles/headings:

name of challenge
team name and logo
school name
team member's name

C. Organization:

neat
logically presented
easy to read

ASSESSMENT

Each group is required to keep accurate individual daily logs.

The following questions must also be answered in complete sentences by each
individual and turned in at the end of this activity:

Looking Back

1. Why did our blimp float? (or not float)
2. What other materials could have been used that may also have worked? Why?
3. What could have been done to maximize performance?
4.. What variables affect the forward movement of the blimp?

Connections

1. How were the concepts of mass and volume applied in this project?
2. What math concepts were necessary for the successful completion of this
project?
3. What science concepts are used in lighter-than-air aircraft design?

What Did I Learn?

1. About the technology of lighter-than-air transportation?
2. About propulsion?
3. About teamwork?

Performance Assessment

1. Effective use of the problem-solving process as an individual and
as part of the team.
2. Is the quality of work neatly done?
3. Does the blimp function? float? fly with control?
4. Did the group work as a team?
5. Did the group meet the challenge?

Searching the Shelves

All computers in the library can access the Media Center's Electronic Card Catalog. It is located
on the Global Access Menu under Media Center Programs. The Catalog identifies all the holdings
(books, etc.) of the WJHS Media Center. It is also possible to search for materials on the
MCPS Library Catalog Online. Be sure to set the limits of your search to Walter Johnson HS only.

If you wish to expand your research use this link to Other Libraries. This link provides direct
connections to the Montgomery County Public Library system, as well as libraries at NIH,
University of Maryland, the Library of Congress and others.

For this assignment, the following call numbers will be helpful: 551.5 622.133 629.13

Learning Research Hub

Walter Johnson’s Learning Research Hub provides access to a catalog of all books and materials
located in the Media Center, and to a wide variety of general and subject-based online reference
materials. The links below provide useful research tools for this project.

General Resources
Encyclopedia, Almanacs, Dictionaries, Atlases

Science Resources

News & Magazine Resources

Internet Sites

Use the following Internet Sites for information on this project. If you discover other useful
Internet sites complete the Internet Checklist (copies available in Media Center) to authenticate
the site.

All About Atoms

Atoms and Molecules