Science Friday: Olympic Ski Jump Training in the Wind Tunnel

One of the factors that automotive engineers must consider is wind drag. The less wind drag, the more efficient the car will be. They perform many tests in wind tunnels, then refine their designs and test again. Using simple materials,...

Using a teacher-built wind tunnel constructed from a paper concrete tube form, a fan, and a balance, individuals determine the amount of drag their rocket design will experience in flight. Pupils make modifications to increase the...

Teams design and build a windmill, under budget, that can lift an object. The groups evaluate and reflect on their own design, then on those produced by other teams. The goal is to determine which design is the most...

Hummingbirds consume their weight in nectar every day. The video explains their unusual flying abilities. From holding their bodies perfectly still while flapping their wings in mid air in order to get the nectar to shaking off water...

What are the three types of energy a ski jumper uses? If you said potential, kinetic, and heat, then you are correct. Scholars adjust the jumper's mass, jumper's form, and height of the start line in the simulation to display graphs of...

Up, up, and away! Young scholars learn how to apply physics to a successful ski jump. An interesting video lesson compares and contrasts drag and lift in the context of a ski jump.

The winds of change are blowing in our very own solar system!  But what makes some heavenly bodies more affected by solar winds than others?  Pupils discover the concept of magnetic forces at work in space in this attractive interactive,...

In this science fair project, the student will make a wind tunnel to test how the formation of birds in flight affects flight efficiency. Make the bird models out of Legos and have fun with this project. The Science Buddies project ideas...

Guided by professional forager and author, Tama Matsuoka Wong, Science Friday toured western New Jersey's meadows and forested trails to discover the native plants and invasive weeds that are used as culinary delicacies. [4:48]

Alpine skiers have engineers looking out for their safety and for their performance. Physics and materials engineers consider how to dampen the vibrations that can be caused by bumps in the snow, vibrations that can cause the athletes to...