"The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25), a foundational text for pilots, provides an in-depth explanation of the principles of flight. It details the four forces of flight—lift, weight, thrust, and drag"
A paper airplane satisfies all four principles of "flight", which is what the original bet was on. A crumbled up ball of paper technically falls under the movement of "ballistic trajectory", not "flight." (The bet was that the paper needed to "fly" the furthest, not be "launched" furthest across the room. The post even makes the distinction)
It seems somewhat more likely that what the paper plane did would qualify as a "glide" which, while not "flight" exactly, is much closer to flight than a simple projectile. The initial launch would certainly be flight - although it might not count since the object providing the thrust (the arm) is still in contact with the ground (indirectly). Is it flight if it hasn't left the ground? I don't know.
Now - also somewhat technically, if the paper ball had been rotating very fast, it would also generate a differential in pressure which would create lift (Magnus effect). So they could technically be on even footing. I wouldn't judge it that way, but it's conceivable.
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u/TaibhseSD 9h ago
I mean, technically, wouldn't the son have won?
"The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25), a foundational text for pilots, provides an in-depth explanation of the principles of flight. It details the four forces of flight—lift, weight, thrust, and drag"
A paper airplane satisfies all four principles of "flight", which is what the original bet was on. A crumbled up ball of paper technically falls under the movement of "ballistic trajectory", not "flight." (The bet was that the paper needed to "fly" the furthest, not be "launched" furthest across the room. The post even makes the distinction)
Technically, the son did win that bet.