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Monday, March 14, 2011

Density: Penny Boats



How can you make a penny float?

Each student gets a 6" square of aluminum foil, with which he/she designs a boat that can carry a penny payload. 

The goal is carry a larger payload than anyone else.

There are several ways to present this activity:
--Each student gets one square of foil to make their boat and they compete with that original boat.
--Each student gets one square of foil, as well as access to water and pennies to test.  They then get a second square of foil to make their competition boat.
--Each student gets one square of foil, as well as access to water and an alternate payload.  They then get a second square of foil to make their competition boat.
--Each student gets a square of paper to use for design purposes.  They then get a square of foil to make their competition boat.

Depending upon how you choose to present this, you can make it a single day activity or a two day activity.

1 comment:

  1. Did this with my students today!!! Great application to scientific method... Refining a hypothesis and redesigning an experiment when your first trial doesn't go so well.

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