Lesson 2: Lifting Force

Lift is the upward force that lets a flying object rise up from the ground. Building the best dronopter requires choosing motors that give enough lift for flight. Can you find out which motors let the dronopter fly?

Here are some definitions to help you in your investigation.

Dronopter - a quadcopter drone

Mass - the amount of matter in an object

Grams - a unit for measuring mass

Force - a push or pull on something

Gravity - a downward pull on things due to Earth’s mass

Newton - a unit for measuring force

Lift - an upward force that allows flight

Doing the science

1. Start the Dronopter Simulation by clicking on the “Sim” tab.
2. Record in Table 1 the mass of each of the frame structures.
3. Calculate and record in Table 1 the mass of 4 motors for each motor type.
4. Calculate and record in Table 1 the total mass of the frame and all 4 motors.
5. Select the Newton Converter in the simulation.
6. Enter the total mass for each frame type and motor combination into the calculator and convert the value to lift force required in newtons. Record these values in Table 1.