The history of aerodynamics is rich with experimentation and international collaboration. Author Joyce Bryant relays this dynamic past and provides math word problems using the formula of lift, the force that makes airplanes fly. She...

Students study aerodynamic forces - lift and drag - and see how those forces affect cycling performance. They see how those forces are calculated and how

High schoolers, after reading the Lift Equation page from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the lift equation by answering questions.

High schoolers, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate their ability to use, graph (using a graphing calculator), and interpret a text equation.

Students read an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook on lift and an explanation on the FoilSim software package given below. They use FoilSim to evaluate the relationship between wing area and lift.

Pupils, after reading an explanation on lift from a NASA Web-based textbook and an explanation on the FoilSim software package given below, use FoilSim to evaluate the relationship between velocity and lift.

Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by using it, along with FoilSim, to complete an activity to graph and interpret the lift equation.

Young scholars use FoilSim to complete the activity to create tables of data sets comparing the lift values for a 3-D model of a symmetrical wing section to the values predicted by the FoilSim software.