Kite Flying: Fun, Art and Science

This lesson presents the basics of aerodynamics by using kite flying as an example, i.e., forces acting on a flying object. Students will measure the net force acting on a kite due to blowing air and will learn how a simple instrument like a spring can be used to measure such force. They will also examine and experience how the force on the kite is transferred to the string in the form of tension and will again measure that tension with a simple spring. This lesson will take about 30 minutes to complete. One will need a calibrated spring to measure forces, as well as a few springs to study the coplanar forces.

Material Type: Lecture

Interactive Kite Modeler

KiteModeler was developed in an effort to foster hands-on, inquiry-based learning in science and math. KiteModeler is a simulator that models the design, trimming, and flight of a kite. The program works in three modes: Design Mode, Trim Mode, or Flight Mode. In the Design Mode (shown below), you pick from five basic types of kite designs. You can then change design variables including the length and width of various sections of the kite. You can also select different materials for each component. When you have a design that you like, you switch to the Trim Mode where you set the length of the bridle string and tail and the location of the knot attaching the bridle to the control line. Based on your inputs, the program computes the center of gravity and pressure, the magnitude of the aerodynamic forces and the weight, and determines the stability of your kite. With a stable kite design, you are ready for Flight Mode. In Flight Mode you set the wind speed and the length of control line. The program then computes the sag of the line caused by the weight of the string and the height and distance that your kite would fly. Using all three modes, you can investigate how a kite flies, and the factors that affect its performance.

Material Type: Simulation

Geographic Information System Basics

Essentials of Geographic Information Systems integrates key concepts behind the technology with practical concerns and real-world applications. Recognizing that many potential GIS users are nonspecialists or may only need a few maps, this book is designed to be accessible, pragmatic, and concise. Essentials of Geographic Information Systems also illustrates how GIS is used to ask questions, inform choices, and guide policy. From the melting of the polar ice caps to privacy issues associated with mapping, this book provides a gentle, yet substantive, introduction to the use and application of digital maps, mapping, and GIS.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Jonathan E. Campbell, Michael Shin

Essentials of Geographic Information Systems

Essentials of Geographic Information Systems integrates key concepts behind the technology with practical concerns and real-world applications. Recognizing that many potential GIS users are nonspecialists or may only need a few maps, this book is designed to be accessible, pragmatic, and concise. Essentials of Geographic Information Systems also illustrates how GIS is used to ask questions, inform choices, and guide policy. From the melting of the polar ice caps to privacy issues associated with mapping, this book provides a gentle, yet substantive, introduction to the use and application of digital maps, mapping, and GIS.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Jonathan Campbell, Michael Shin

Digital Mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Geographic information systems (GIS), once used predominantly by experts in cartography and computer programming, have become pervasive in everyday business and consumer use. This unit explores GIS in general as a technology about which much more can be learned, and it also explores applications of that technology. Students experience GIS technology through the use of Google Earth on the environmental topic of plastics in the ocean in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The use of this topic in GIS makes the unit multidisciplinary, incorporating the physics of ocean currents, the chemistry associated with pollutant degradation and chemical sorption to organic-rich plastics, and ecological impact to aquatic biota.

Material Type: Full Course, Unit of Study

Authors: Andrey Koptelov, Nathan Howell

Regional Crime Analysis Geographic Information System (RCAGIS)

An open source crime mapping software originally developed by the US Department of Justice.

Material Type: Data Set

Author: U.S. Department of Justice

Mapping Your State and Community

This activity introduces Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and poses questions that help students answer questions that require spatial data. Students examine questions about communities and populations from local to state to national scales. Six GIS, math and mapping activities are identified in this resource. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.

Material Type: Activity/Lab