1. The Physics of Bird Flight 5 th Grade

2. Objectives: To explain how a bird is able to fly To identify three types of flight that birds use.

3. Did you know? All objects on land are surrounded by an invisible ocean of air. Air = a mixture of gas molecules that exert pressure on the objects they surround.

4. Air Pressure: When you blow into a balloon, it gets larger The pressure of the air molecules pushing on the sides of the balloon make it expand

5. Air Pressure: How does it work?

7. Air Pressure The faster air moves, the less pressure it exerts

8. Movement and Air Pressure For birds, fast-moving air above the wing exerts less pressure Slower-moving air below the wing exerts more pressure

9. Higher pressure keeps the bird in flight

10. A bird’s angle and shape of the wing causes the air to move faster above the wing than below it

11. Lift: an upward force that causes a bird to rise based on the difference in pressure above and below the wings as a bird moves through the air

12. What does a bird do to get off of the ground before it uses lift to fly?

13. To get into the air…. A bird moves forward to make air move over its wings A bird sharply pulls down its wing to provide the power that pushes the bird forward

14. Once birds are in the air, there are 3 types of bird flight 1) ? 2) ? 3) ?

15. Three types of bird flight: 1) Flapping 2) Soaring 3) Gliding

16. Flapping: what does that do?

17. Flapping All birds flap their wings (sharply pull down their wings) Certain birds rely on flapping more than others

18. Soaring Involves little movement Birds use rising currents of warm air Used to move upward

19. Gliding Involves little wing movement Birds use falling currents of cool air Used to move downward

20. Question: Does Soaring or Flapping take more energy?

21. Answer: Flapping…it takes a large amount of energy!

22. What do birds use so that they do not need to waste too much energy on flapping?

23. They use warm and cool air currents

24. Did you know? Warm air rises and cool air sinks

25. Remember that to soar, birds use warm air currents so that they can move upward

26. Remember that to glide, birds use cold air currents so that they can move downward

27. What is a type of flight that we have not yet talked about that doesn’t use any lift?

28. Answer: Diving does not use any lift. How do birds use diving to their advantage?

29. Diving is used for… Hunting for prey

30. What does a bird do with its wings so that it can effectively dive?

31. Birds pull their wings in close to their bodies so that there is no more lift The result: gravity pulls them down! Fun fact: Peregrine Falcons can dive up to 300 kilometers per hour

32. Peregrine Falcon Diving http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mTPEuF cWk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mTPEuF cWk

33. Bird Flight: This video really helps explain it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3So7OMw Ngy8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3So7OMw Ngy8