Mr. Hampl's Economics Class: Paper Airplane Challenge
by Travis Hampl
February 03, 2012
Economics Paper Airplane Challenge
By Aaron Abeita
In an activity to expand their knowledge of economic systems and how they work, Travis Hampl’s economics classes recently participated in a paper airplane challenge.
“We had to pick a specific type of economy—either capitalism, socialism or communism—and then find out how well each worked in terms of producing paper airplanes,” said economics student, Jordan Sprick.
After the class divided into multiple groups of four or five students, each group had to decide on their economy, and then use that economy to make four paper airplanes that would attempted to be thrown through a hoola-hoop that was positioned a few yards away. The winning group would be the one that flew the most airplanes through the hoop.
Depending on the economy, students had to alter the way they communicated and made the airplanes in their groups.
If a group was capitalist, all members of the group would be able to produce their airplane in whatever way they saw fit, resulting in four completely different planes or an agreed upon design for all the planes. In a socialist group the students would be divided into citizens and government officials, with the citizens free to create whatever design they liked, but with government officials forced to make the same type of plane. And finally, in a communist group one member of the group would be in charge and would direct all other members on how to make their planes, resulting in all identical planes.
“Making paper airplanes was really fun, and it was extra great because my group won even though we were communist,” said economics student, Cale Heiniger.
Hampl stated that usually capitalist groups win the competition, but there have been occasions when other types of economies win.
