Kite History
Kites were first developed in approximately 2,800 years ago in China.
In 1750, Benjamin Franklin published a proposal for an experiment to prove that lightning is electricity by flying a kite in a lightening storm.
Kites were also instrumental in the research and development of the Wright brothers when building the first airplane in the late 1800s.
Over the next 70 years, many new kite designs were developed. These included Eddy's tail-less diamond kite, the tetrahedral kite, the flexible kite, the sled kite, and the parafoil kite, which helped to develop the modern hang-gliders.
The period from 1860 to about 1910 became the "golden age of kiting". Kites started to be used for scientific purposes, especially in meteorology, aeronautics, wireless communications and photography.
How Kites Fly
Kites are airfoils
An
airfoil is any object that redirects the flow of air around it. The wings of
airplanes, sails, bird wings, parachutes, and kite are all considered airfoils.
Tension on the
kite is created by the tether (string) that holds the kite to one central place,
such as your hand.
Wind Pressure
or Thrust
Wind Pressure is created by the wind hitting a solid object.
When the wind hits that object and can not continue on its direction it has to
find another way around the object. This creates:
Lift happens
when more of the wind looking for a new direction goes under the kite, thus
lifting the kite in the air. What happens if more of the wind goes over the top
of the kite?
Drag is created by wind
resistance on the kite's surface (and tail). Drag can also result from
turbulence behind the kite pulling the kite back.
Some
Questions
1. How will the ball of paper fall when I drop it?
2. How about the flat sheet of paper?
3. What is the name of the force that pulls the paper down?
4. Why did the pieces of paper act so differently when I
dropped them?
5. Kites are heavier than air. How do they stay in the air?
6. What features help a kite fly?
