Rescue Mission Game

Students play a game to learn about the four forces of flight: lift, drag, thrust, and weight. Before playing the game, students conduct a probability experiment with spinners and record their results in tally tables and bar graphs. They then use their findings to select spinners with the greatest probability of helping them win the game. In a portion of the game, students use ordered pairs to plot points on the coordinate plane to show their flight path.

This lesson was adapted from Travel in the Solar System in Mission Mathematics II: Grades 3‑5, a NASA/NCTM project, NCTM 1997.

Background Information

When we look at large airliners and helicopters, it seems impossible for such huge objects to lift off the ground and fly. Flight is possible because of four forces (pushes or pulls) that act on the aircraft.

Two of the forces are lift and weight. Lift is the upward force that works against the force of weight, the force that holds the aircraft down. Lift is created by the effect of airflow over and under the wings of airplanes or the blades of helicopters. Wings are usually thicker on the front edge and thinner on the back edge. This shape allows the air moving over the wing to move faster, and consequently, to have less pressure. The air moving under the wing reveals more slowly and results in more pressure pushing up on the wing. Thus, the force pushing up on the wing is greater that the force pushing down.

The other two forces of flight are thrust and drag. Thrust is the push or the pull forward that causes aircraft to move. The engines create thrust. Drag is an opposite force that slows the aircraft. Drag is caused by the surfaces of the aircraft that interrupt or deflect the smooth airflow around the aircraft. Some things that affect the amount of drag are the flaps; the ailerons; and the size, shape, and position of the wings.

Getting Started

As you introduce or review the forces of flight, ask questions to focus students' attention on a diagram with arrows to show the direction associated with each of the four forces. For example, ask which force pulls things to the ground.

As you present the Rescue Mission Game activity sheet, introduce the game students will be playing. They are pilots of rescue helicopters. Their mission is to fly their helicopters to the top of a mountain to rescue lost hikers.

Rescue Mission Game Activity Sheet

As you discuss the Rescue Mission Game activity sheet, explain how the spinner determines in which direction to move. For example, if the pointer lands on Lift, students move their helicopter up one space. Ask them the following questions:

In which direction they should move if it lands on Drag. [Left]

On Thrust? [Right]

On Weight? [Down]

When students cannot move in the direction indicated by the spinner, they stay in the same position for that turn.

Show students the starting point of the game and ask them to think about the flight path for their mission. Ask students the following questions:

In which directions they must go to reach the mountaintop. [Up and to the right]

Which forces will be most helpful. [Lift and thrust] Why?

Developing the Activity

Part 1: Getting Ready for the Mission

As you discuss the Rescue Mission Game activity sheet, explain that since the lost hikers are cold and hungry, the pilot needs to get to the top of the mountain quickly. Ask students to compare the spinners.

Class Conversation

Use the following questions to guide the class conversation:

• How are the spinners alike? How are they different?
• Which spinner do you think will help your helicopter get to the mountaintop the fastest? Why do you think so?
• How can we test the spinners to check our predictions?

After discussing their suggestions, ask students to work with a partner to spin each spinner 50 times and to record all results in a tally table.

When all data have been collected, help students display their data in bar graphs.

Each bar graph should be discussed and interpreted. Help students see that on spinner C, all forces have the same chance for the pointer to land on them. Since there is 1 chance out of 4 equal chances that the pointer will land on Lift, the probability is ?.

Class Conversation

Use the following questions to guide the next discussion.

Compare the regions in spinner C. How many of the same size do you see? [4]

How many different forces are on spinner C? [4]

Is it less likely, equally likely, or more likely that the pointer will land on Lift than on Weight, Drag, or Thrust?

What is the likelihood, or probability, of landing on Thrust? On Drag? On Weight?

Does the pointer have the same chance of landing on each force? Why do you think that?

Next, ask students to look closely at their graphs for spinner C to interpret the results of their experiment.

Since the probability is the same for each force on spinner C, what should the graphs look like? Why?

Do your bar graphs show this?

Which bars are taller? Shorter?

What does the bars' appearance show you?

Repeat this analysis process with each spinner.

When it is your turn how can you use your graphs to help you decide which spinner to use on that turn?

Students should keep all spinners for the Rescue Mission Game.

Part 2: Playing the Rescue-Mission Game

Introduce or review how to read and write ordered pairs to name a location on a coordinate grid. Practice using the spinners to determine moves on the game board. Ask students to predict how many spins will be needed to reach the top of the mountain.

Students then play the game with a partner to see which helicopter can rescue the lost hikers on the mountaintop first. As they take turns, students should record the following data:

• Which spinner is selected for the turn
• Where the pointer lands (lift, thrust, weight, or drag)
• How the student moves (up, right, down, or left)
• The ordered pair that names the point to which they move

Students can record the flight path on the game-board grid by plotting the points for each student in different colors. When finished, students can connect the points to show the flight path.