Falling Paper - On tumbling, fluttering, Paper Airplanes and objects dropped in Swimming Pools

Finally, the truth about falling paper.

Falling Paper - Research - Z. Jane Wang Research Group

I grew up in Stuyvesant Town, New York City on the 8th floor and I put alot of paper airplanes, paper blimps and paper helicopters out the window in an effort to understand the art of falling paper. This study shows us in a graph and a movie how paper falls. Both tumbling and fluttering should be familiar to the paper airplane enthusiast.

I love these psychedelic movies showing the currents of air on the two types of falling paper.



Also, anybody who spends alot of time in a swimming pool should be familiar with these motions. Every time I drop something in the pool I see either the tumbling or fluttering action described in these studies.