Materials
4 Foil Sheets (20 x 20)
4 Straws
5-25 small objects such as: coins, beans, pebbles, washers, pieces of candy (found at home)
challenge
Can you build a boat that will fl oat out of foil and straws?
Instructions
- Plan the design of your boat: How will you use foil and straws to build a boat? Hint: Engineers often draw out their ideas
- Build your boat: Once you have your fi nal design in mind, build your foil boat.
- Test your boat: In the sink, bathtub, or pot of water by adding small objects to your boat one by one. Count how many objects your boat can hold before it takes on water.
Going Further
- Redesign your boat: What improvements could you make to your boat to allow it to carry more weight before sinking?
- Test your redesigned boat: In the same sink, bathtub, or pot of water by adding small objects to your boat one by one. Did your boat perform better with the redesign?
- What do you think would happen if the water was really cold or really warm?
The Engineering Design Cycle
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