Air - Sail Away! - Episode 110



1) To Fly or Flop
Why do some kites fly better than others? Try drawing and building four kites using only triangular pieces of material. Make two kites that you think will soar like an eagle and two you think will drop like a rock. Make sure all your kites weigh about the same.

2) Seed Ships
The seeds of some plants, like milkweed or sugar maple “helicopters,” float through the air. Catch some seeds with a net or collect them directly from a plant. Design a test to see if differences in seeds on the same plant (size, weight, shape) make some seeds fly better than others. Try changing some seeds in a way that makes them better fliers than before.

3) How's The Air Up There?
The air quality index, tracked by meteorologists, measures the levels of impurities and pollution in the air. For five days, follow the air quality index in your local newspaper or newscast. Does weather influence air quality? How? Communicate with a friend in another city and compare air quality indexes. What are the differences between these two locations? What creates these differences?