Today students finally got to see their boats in action. The competition in each class was fierce. We added 60 gram bolts, one at a time, and the last boat to sink was the winner. Congratulations to Kate Gemmill and Meaghan Parsons; their boat held 21 bolts (a mass of 1260 grams), the most in the cluster!

The key to winning the competition came down to three things. First, your boat had to hold it’s shape (any crumpling would reduce its volume). Second, your boat couldn’t leak (any leak would have added to the mass). Third, and most importantly, your boat needed to have a large volume in order to support a heavy weight and still maintain a low density. For more discussion regarding these three points, watch Mr. A’s explanation below.

Remember, your homework is to begin work on your Boats Essay (due Monday). The instructions are on the back of Page 114. And if you’d like to use pictures in your essay, please visit the link below.

Click here to see pictures of our boats in action!