Aluminum Foil Boat Contest
Aluminum Foil Boat Contest
9/14 or 9/15
• Your group will be given a 6” by 6” piece of
aluminum foil.
• Your goal is to make a boat out of the
aluminum foil that can hold the most pennies.
• In your notebook write or draw how you think
your group should construct the boat.
Discuss
• Allow each member of the group to share her
or his ideas.
• You only get 1 piece of foil, so agree on what
you will do before you do it!
• Build your boat.
• What data can you record about your boat?
Before the Competition
Length Width Height Volume
# of
(lxwxh) Pennies
Radius
r2
Height Volume
# of
(∏r2h) Pennies
The Competition
• VERY IMPORTANT: AFTER YOUR BOAT SINKS,
TAKE IT OUT OF THE WATER AS GENTLY AS
POSSIBLE.
• We will compare the boats after the
competition and we will not be able to do this
if your boat is crumpled.
Collect Data
• Manipulated Variable
– what you changed
• Responding Variable
– what changed in response to what you changed
In your notebook:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Controls:
Manipulated Variable:
Responding Variable:
What made the best boats?
In your notebook:
1. What were the controls?
– Amount of aluminum foil, pennies, water
2. What was the manipulated variable?
– Shape of boat (Volume)
3. What was the responding variable?
– Number of pennies (Mass)
4. What made the best boats?
– Boats with largest volume
Each of these boats have 20 pennies in
them. How are they different?
Each of these boats have 20 pennies in
them. How are they different?
DENSITY!!!!!
What was the relationship
between mass and volume?
• The bigger the volume, the more mass it could
hold.
• Density = ???
• ↑ Mass = ↑ Density
– Direct Relationship
• ↑ Volume = ↓ Density
– Inverse Relationship
• Density = mass/Volume
How do you make the best boat?
• Large Volume
• Make another one and see if you can beat
your first boat!