Why frisbee fly

Meaning we have to throw the frisbee; the harder the further it goes. Even though these guys are throwing with a lot of force it does not really fly that far. That is because of all the air around us. Another thing we tend to forget about, even though we are breathing air in and out all the time.

Air having mass was a hot debated topic until proven in Friction with air slows down any object. This is called air resistance or drag and its dependent on the surface of attack the air is presented with. The more surface of attack presented the more it slows the object down. Therefore, the key to reduce the friction is to present the air with as little surface to attack as possible.

And there is another important reason to throw a Frisbee on one plane. That helps a frisbee to generate lift. Lift is a force perpendicular to the direction of the airflow and in the case of the Frisbee lift pushes the Frisbee upwards.

But Lift does not only depend on the shape of the Frisbee. More important is the angle of attack that the Frisbee is released at. With a negative angle of attack the air is pushed up and the frisbee down.

A too steep angle however will just slow the flying disc a lot, because of the increased friction with air. So as you may have noticed it is very important to keep the frisbee on a single plane. And you probably know how: by giving it a good spin. Normally a disc would be very unstable. It wobbles and turns. By spinning it, it stays on one plane. How far did it veer from the center line, and in what direction left or right?

If you have a piece of paper and a pencil or pen, you can record this data and all following flight information. Each time throw the Frisbee with similar arm motion and speed, use a similar spin, and have the same release point.

How far did the Frisbee travel each time? How far did it travel away from the center line, and in what direction? You can imagine that if your arm were the hour hand of a clock, the previous throw would have been directed toward three o'clock and this throw should aim between one o'clock and two o'clock.

Throw it this way at least five times. Other than changing the launch angle, try to keep all other aspects of the flights the same. How far did the Frisbee travel each time when thrown at an upward angle? Again, try to keep all other aspects of each flight the same.

How far did the Frisbee travel each time when thrown at a downward angle? Is there a relationship between launch angle and distance? Based on aerodynamic principles, why do you think you saw these relationships? You can try this activity again but test even more angles, such as angles in between the ones you tried in this activity. You can videotape your throws and then watch the video to analyze and confirm the angles at which you threw the Frisbee. How well does the Frisbee fly using other launch angles?

Is there an angle that consistently correlates with the "best" flight in terms of distance and stability? How will the Frisbee's flight be affected by throwing it into the wind? What about across or with the wind? How does the launch angle change a flight in each of these conditions? What differences do you notice?

Can you explain them in terms of aerodynamic forces? Even dogs can learn how to catch a Frisbee! How do Frisbees fly so gracefully through the air? Are they powered by invisible fairy wings?

Way back in , college students would toss empty pie tins back and forth. In , Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni invented a plastic disc that would fly better than empty pie tins. The name was changed to Frisbee a year later, although the company misspelled the name of the original pie company.

Frisbees fly so through the air thanks to their shape and ability to rotate. When you flick your wrist to send a Frisbee flying to a friend, you start the Frisbee spinning rapidly. It acts like a gyroscope , building angular momentum in the process.

Angular momentum gives a Frisbee stability in flight. But why does a Frisbee fly at all? This helps air travel more quickly above a Frisbee than below it. This creates lower air pressure above the Frisbee. The higher air pressure below the Frisbee pushes it upward, creating lift and allowing it to fly through the air. This is much like the way airplanes fly! Simply flip the Frisbee upside down and give it a toss.

A, NGSS. C, CCRA. Join us in Wonderopolis tomorrow for a closer look at how technology affects how we perceive reality! Did this Wonder of the Day leave you flying high? Ask a friend or family member to help you check out the following activities:. Hi again, Live! Glad you came back to check this one out.

Thanks for sharing that you liked it! We hope so, Shanna! It can be tricky to throw but keep at it. You'll get the hang of it! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature.

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Who invented the Frisbee?