science

MIT BURD II

MIT BURD II is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MIT BURD II rather than just read about it. In short: The BURD II was a two-place human-powered biplane, designed and built by graduates and undergraduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is very similar to the original BURD, which suffered a structural collapse during testing in 1975, but incorporated changes to its structure and its control systems.

Key takeaways

MIT BURD II belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MIT BURD II to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MIT BURD II from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The BURD II was a two-place human-powered biplane, designed and built by graduates and undergraduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is very similar to the original BURD, which suffered a structural collapse during testing in 1975, but incorporated changes to its structure and its control systems.

Background Construction of the BURD II began in June 1976 and was completed by September of that year. It differed from the original BURD in several ways. While the wing spars of the original craft were box-beams made from balsa, for the new airplane they were made from carbon fiber. The secondary structure, in addition to balsa, incorporated new materials, such as polystyrene, carbon fiber, and bamboo. The undercarriage's rear wheel was fitted with a shock-absorber. For the control system, changes made included the foreplane being held in a neutral position by bungee cords and, for yaw control, spoilers being fitted to the wingtip endplates, in addition to those located on the lower wing. Further changes included the fuselage having a full frontal fairing, and the central vertical fin, located above the upper wing, being redesigned so that it had a new profile. Flight attempts with the BURD proved unsuccessful and, when the £50,000 Kremer prize was won in August 1977, interest in the project waned. In October 1978, four MIT undergraduates (all members of the MIT Rocket Society) were given access to the BURD II, with the intention of modifying the craft so that it could be made to fly. In November, two model aircraft engines, rated at 1.50 hp (1.1 kW), powering 12 in (30.5 cm) propellers, were fitted on either side of the fuselage. A series of taxiing trials, which continued through to late November, were conducted. On the last test, with Harold Youngren acting as pilot, and also pedalling, the BURD II reached takeoff speed, at which point the foreplane collapsed and the craft veered off course, causing further structural damage. After that event, the aircraft was dismantled. Subsequent analysis by MIT graduate Bob Parks determined that the BURD design had fundamental deficiencies in its engineering, with its center of gravity being too far forward, and the wings' box-spars and wire trussing also being inadequate for the task.

Specifications Data from Jane's all the world's aircraft 1976–77General characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) Wingspan: 62 ft (19 m) Height: 13 ft 4 in (4.06 m) Wing area: 640 sq ft (59 m2) plus 66 sq ft (6.13 m2) canard wing area Airfoil: Wortmann FX61-164 Empty weight: 126 lb (57 kg) Max takeoff weight: 440 lb (200 kg) Propellers: 2-bladed, 10 ft (3.0 m) diameter Performance

Maximum speed: 19 mph (31 km/h, 17 kn) Cruise speed: 17 mph (27 km/h, 15 kn) Stall speed: 13.5 mph (21.7 km/h, 11.7 kn) Never exceed speed: 20.5 mph (33.0 km/h, 17.8 kn) Wing loading: 0.69 lb/sq ft (3.4 kg/m2)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MIT BURD II

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MIT BURD II claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MIT BURD II before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MIT BURD II ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MIT BURD II

In research: MIT BURD II appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MIT BURD II in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MIT BURD II is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1970s United States experimental aircraft, Aircraft with fixed bicycle landing gear, Biplanes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MIT BURD II outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MIT BURD II in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MIT BURD II means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MIT BURD II out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MIT BURD II in simple terms?

Why does MIT BURD II matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MIT BURD II?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MIT BURD II.