Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Graphing the Four Forces Lesson PlanGraphing the Four Forces Lesson Plan
Publisher
Curated OER
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Lesson Plan

Graphing the Four Forces

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Graphing the Four Forces lesson plan also includes:
  • Project
  • Join to access all included materials

Using the Cartesian coordinate system, future flight experts plot points to determine whether or not an airplane will fly. With the four forces of weight, lift, drag, and thrust represented in different quadrants, your physics learners can discover the proper combination. Though this is a theoretical exercise, it is ideal for helping them to understand how all of the forces interact to allow an airplane to allow aerial navigation.

39 Views 33 Downloads
Concepts

weight, measurement, aerodynamics, drag, force, lift, net force, thrust, coordinate plane

Additional Tags

aerodynamics, drag, forces, lift, net force, thrust, weight, cartesian coordinate system, airplane flight, science
Show More Show Less

Resource Details

Grade
9th - 12th
Subjects
Science
3 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Duration
45 mins
Instructional Strategy
Inquiry-Based Learning

See similar resources:

Lesson Plan

Crash Course in Flight

Curated OER
High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...
9th - 12th Science
Instructional Video

The Physics of Weightless Flight

Physics Girl
Ever wonder what it's like to feel weightless? Hop aboard the Vomit Comet and find out! A video from a large physics playlist features the parabolic airplane flight used to simulate weightlessness. Young physicists discover how the...
5 mins 9th - Higher Ed Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

May the Force Be With You: Thrust

Teach Engineering
Force the plane through the air. The lesson plan introduces the force on an airplane that makes it go forward. Pupils learn how Newton's laws of motion apply to flight in the eighth segment of a 22-part unit on flight.
7th - 9th Science
PPT

Circulatory Systems

Curated OER
Excellent diagrams, labels and summaries make this resource be valuable to your students throughout the topic of circulation. All types of circulation vessels are explained, their structure and function is detailed, and the overall...
9th - 11th Science
Handout

Nasa: Flight: What Is Drag?

NASA
Understand the concept of drag and find out how it affects the movement of airplanes.
9th - 10th Science
Activity

Teach Engineering: Flying With Style

TeachEngineering
As students begin to understand the physics behind thrust, drag, and gravity and how these relate these to Newton's three laws of motion, groups assemble and launch the rockets that they designed in the associated lesson.
10th - 12th Science
Worksheet

Unit VI: Worksheet 3 - Force, Velocity, Displacement

Curated OER
Those who take this challenge will draw force diagrams and then calculate velocities and displacement. The problems are applicable to any general physics curriculum that covers motion. Add this to your collection of homework...
9th - 12th Science
Interactive

Airplane

CK-12 Foundation
How does an airplane control its take off and descent? Scholars explore the forces acting on an airplane and control the angle of attack, wing profile, thrust, and airplane size. They learn about lift, drag, thrust, gravity, and the...
6th - 12th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Activity

Equal and Opposite Thrust in Aircraft: You're a Pushover!

Teach Engineering
It's the law—every action requires a reaction, no matter how small. Pupils experience two demonstrations of Newton's third law of motion as it relates to thrust in the 10th segment of a 22-part unit on flight. Using their mathematical...
7th - 9th Math
CCSS: Designed
Worksheet

Unit VIII: Worksheet 2 - Centripetal Force

Curated OER
Circular motion can make you loopy! On this physics instructional activity, learners practice solving problems regarding centripetal force, rotational period, speed, acceleration, and more. A flying aerobat and a couple of amusement park...
9th - 12th Science
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use