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Physics Students Take to the Skies

Aviation was the theme during the annual summer physics workshop conducted June 23rd - 26th. Sixth- and seventh-graders investigated the physics of flight and built model airplanes.

Led by senior Alexandra Proffitt, a model airplane enthusiast who competes nationally each summer, participants assembled models from balsa wood, paper, and rubber bands.

The culminating event was a series of test flights, during which the girls observed the aerodynamic effects of lift, weight, thrust, and drag.

Some watched in delight as flights gently touched down on the grass, others in horror as flights terminated in catastrophic failure.

Regardless of the result, however, each young aviator took home an appreciation for the physics of flight, a certificate of achievement, and a model airplane�or, the remnants thereof!

submitted by Bill Goodwin,
High School Physics Teacher