Your task is to write a program than can compute the weight
and balance for a Cessna-150.
Things to know about weight and
balance in airplanes.
Every load in the airplane has a weight
and an arm. The weight describes how much it weighs, and the
arm describes if the load pushes the plane nose-heavy or tail-heavy.
The product of the weight and the arm is called the moment.
For example, if I weigh 170 lbs and sit 39 inches behind the
propeller, them my weight is 170 lbs, my arm is 39 inches, and my
moment is 6,630 lbs-inches.
Every plane has a weight limit.
If the plane weighs more than it should, it will not be able to climb
very well and will land too fast. If the plane weights lots
more than it should, the wings will fall off during manuvering. The
most my plane can weigh is 1,600 lbs.
Every plane has center
of gravity limits. These describe how nose/tail heavy the plane
can be and remain safe. On my plane, the center of gravity must
remain between 31.3 and 37.4 inches behind the propellor or I will be
in danger.
The Center of Gravity of a plane is just the sum of
the moments divided by the sum of the weights.
The plane uses
6 gallons per hour. The plane flies 100 mph. Each gallon weighs 6
pounds. The tanks can only hold 21 gallons max.
Here is a
sample weight and balance problem.
Item |
Weight |
Arm |
Moment |
Empty Plane |
1067.9 lbs |
32.94 inches |
35,176 lb-inches |
Me |
170 lbs |
39.0 inches |
6,630 lb-inches |
Lori |
105 lbs |
39.0 inches |
4,095 lb-inches |
Fuel |
132 lbs |
39.5 inches |
5,214 lb-inches |
Luggage |
100 lbs |
64 inches |
6,400 lb-inches |
TOTAL |
1,574 lbs |
|
57,515 lb-inches |
Center of Gravity = 57,515 / 1,574 = 36.54 inches |
Your task is to write a web page using Javascript that
computes the weight and balance for a given flight. This assignment
is out of 85,000,000 points.
Item |
Points |
Can compute the weight and center-of-gravity for a C-150 |
10,000,000 |
Alerts the user if the plane is over-weight |
10,000,000 |
Alerts the user if the plane is out of balance |
10,000,000 |
Shows a graph of the weight and balance |
10,000,000 |
Complains about stupid entries (negative weight, people who weigh more than 300 lbs) |
10,000,000 |
Uses CSS in a separate file |
5,000,000 |
Has an appropriate embedded video |
5000000 |
Has up and down buttons to change a field's value |
5000000 |
Uses a table |
5,000,000 |
A field changes color for any reason |
5,000,000 |
Uses an if-else |
5,000,000 |
Tells how far the plane can fly |
5,000,000 |
Turned in during finals week |
-10,000,000 |