Magnus Flyers
Magnus Flyers https://www.instructables.com/Magnus-Glider/ Days: 1 Mode: Individual Take-home: Magnus glider/flyer
Teaching & key ideas
Key concepts: Spin, airflow, Magnus force, lift, trajectory, fair testing.
Hook: Show a spinning ball/flyer curving through air and compare with no-spin release.
Test / evidence: Flyer travels consistently; students compare spin direction or construction variables.
Variables to change: Spin rate; cylinder size; spacing; launch angle.
Lesson flow
Lesson plan:
Day 1: Magnus demo → build flyer → repeated launches → change one variable
Video:
What Is The Magnus Force?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23f1jvGUWJs
Safety / cleanup:
Launch only in a marked direction; no hard/heavy projectiles.