8 Aluminum foil boat challenge

Cost: Less than $10

Difficulty: Low

Time: Hour

Objective:

• To understand principles of buoyancy and density by building a boat using aluminum foil and testing how many pennies it can hold before sinking.

Materials Needed:

• Aluminum foil sheets
• Pennies
• Large container filled with water (e.g., a plastic tub)
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Paper towels (for cleanup)
• Notebook and pen (for recording observations)

1. Introduction:
   • Briefly explain the concepts of buoyancy and density. What makes some things float, and what makes other things sink?
   • Discuss how boats float and what factors affect their ability to hold weight. Try illustrating this using a whiteboard.

1. Design Phase:
   • Divide students into small groups or individually
   • Provide each group/student with a sheet of aluminum foil.
   • Instruct students to design and build a boat using the foil. Encourage creativity in shapes and designs.
2. Testing Phase:
   • Fill the container with water.
   • Have each group place their boat in the water.
   • Gradually add pennies to the boat, counting as they go.
   • Record the number of pennies each boat holds before it sinks.
3. Observation and Analysis:
   • Ask students to observe how the boat behaves as more pennies are added.
   • Discuss why some boats held more pennies than others.
   • Relate observations to the concepts of buoyancy and density.
4. Repeat (optional)

• • Depending on the number of students and time, multiple versions of their boats can be attempted to allow for students to adjust their designs based on observation

1. Conclusion:
   • Discuss what designs were most effective and why.
   • Encourage students to think about how they could improve their designs based on what they learned.
   • Discuss why different shapes behave differently in the water (a wide rectangle shape will hold more weight than a narrow V-shape, for example)