This was the exact problem facing the Wright brothers when they were trying to create the first airplane. How to mimic the flight of birds. How to turn thisshe held up the stick horizontallyinto wings that could sustain flight. So, does anyone know how they did it?

Her gaze flicked immediately to Oliver. He swallowed. As much as he didnt want to speak aloud, another part of him desperately wanted to prove to Ms. Belfry how smart he was.

You need to create lift, he said, quietly.

What was that? Ms. Belfry said, although Oliver knew full well shed heard him perfectly.

Reticently, he spoke a little louder. You need to create lift.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Oliver felt a blush creep into his cheeks. He felt the change in the room, the tenseness of the other students around him. So much for not having thirty pairs of eyes gawking at him; Oliver could practically feel them burning into his back.

And what is lift? Ms. Belfry continued.

Oliver wet his dry lips and swallowed his anguish. Lift is the name of the force that counters gravity. Gravity is always pulling objects down to the center of the earth. Lift is the force that counteracts it.

From somewhere behind, he heard Pauls whispered voice in a mock whine, mimicking, Lift counteracts it.

A tittering of laughter rippled amongst the students behind him. Oliver felt his muscles stiffen defensively in response.

Ms. Belfry was clearly oblivious to the quiet mocking Oliver was experiencing.

Hmm, she said, as if this was all news to her. Sounds complicated. Countering gravity? Isnt that impossible?

Oliver shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. He really wanted to stop speaking, to have a small respite from the whispers. But clearly no one else knew the answer, and Ms. Belfry was watching him with her sparkling, encouraging eyes.

Not at all, Oliver replied, finally taking the bait. To create lift all you have to do is change how fast air flows around something, which you can do just by changing the shape of the object. So with your popsicle stick, you just need a ridge on the top side. That means that as the stick moves forward the air flowing above and below it have different-shaped paths. Over the humped side of the wing the path is curved, whereas beneath the wing, the path is flat and uninterrupted.

Oliver finished speaking and immediately pressed his lips together. Not only had he answered her question, hed gone above and beyond in explaining it. Hed gotten carried away with himself and now he was going to be mocked mercilessly. He braced himself.

Could you draw it for us? Ms. Belfry asked.

She held out a board pen for Oliver. He looked at it, wide-eyed. Speaking was one thing, but standing in front of everyone like a target was a whole other!

Id prefer not to, he muttered out the side of his mouth.