How to Build and Test a Paper Spinner
A paper spinner—sometimes called a paper helicopter or whirlybird—is a simple toy that can teach you a great deal about forces and motion. When you drop a flat sheet of paper, it flutters unpredictably. When you drop a crumpled ball of paper, it plunges straight down. A paper spinner, however, falls in a controlled, steady spin. By building your own spinner and changing just one variable at a time, you can observe how forces like gravity and air resistance interact.
Materials Needed
Before you begin, gather the following supplies:
- One sheet of regular printer paper
- A ruler with inch or centimeter markings
- A pencil
- Blunt-tip student scissors
- Two or three standard metal paper clips
- A stopwatch or timer
- A notebook and pencil to record observations
Step 1: Measure and Cut the Strip
Lay your paper flat on a table. Using your ruler and pencil, measure and draw a rectangle that is 2 inches (5 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) long. Carefully cut out this strip with your scissors. This single strip will become the body and blades of your spinner.
Step 2: Mark the Folds and Cuts
Place the paper strip vertically in front of you.
- variable:
- A condition or detail in an experiment that can be changed or kept the same.
- gravity:
- The invisible force that pulls objects down toward the center of the Earth.
- air resistance:
- The upward pushing force of air molecules slowing down a moving object.
- drag:
- Another word for air resistance; a force that slows down an object moving through air.
- descent:
- The act of moving downward from a higher place to a lower place.
- trial:
- One single test or attempt in an experiment to gather information.
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Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
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Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
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Structure
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Writing Prompts
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What are the two main forces that act on a paper spinner as it falls?
- 2Why is it important to drop the spinner in a room without open windows or fans?
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About this how-to / procedural passage for 4th Grade
“How to Build and Test a Paper Spinner” is a how-to / procedural reading passage about paper spinner experiment, written for 4th Grade. It takes about 6 minutes to read (870 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.