
Aircraft Noise at Takeoff vs. Landing
Hard
Do aircraft produce more noise during takeoff or during landing? Different aircraft types also generate different sound levels at each stage of flight.
You position a decibel meter at a safe location near an airport runway. As each aircraft passes, you record the noise during takeoff and again during landing. Three readings are taken for a Boeing 747, an Airbus 300, and a Cessna 206.
Takeoff produces higher noise levels than landing across all three aircraft. The Cessna 206 is the loudest and the Airbus 300 is the quietest.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that an aircraft will make more noise during take off than during landing.
Method & Materials
You will measure the noise levels of different aircraft during take off and landing with a decibel meter. You will also need to obtain the flight schedules for different types of aircraft and find a safe location near an airport to view aircraft take off and landing.
You will need a decibel meter, ear plugs, and approval from the relevant airport authority (if necessary) to conduct the experiment near the airport.
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See what’s includedResults
The results show that the aircraft will generate more noise during take off as compared to during landing. The noise levels are also different for different types of aircraft. Residents living near an airport are affected by the noise of an aircraft during taking off, noise of aircraft landing and noise of low flying aircrafts.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting and unique because it allows students to measure the noise levels of different aircraft during take off and landing and observe the effects of aircraft noise on people living near an airport.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include repeating the experiment at night and repeating the experiment when it is raining.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
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