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The Challenge:

In the last KBLOG (34) I discussed how to help students use paper airplanes to reveal to themselves the scientific method. It is a fun experience especially when you throw in a bit of good-hearted competition. In this KBLOG I will introduce another fun, simple and effective way for students to explore the scientific method. The construction and testing of a tinfoil boat (aluminum foil).

A Solution:

For the tinfoil boat challenge, I recommend not telling students about the activity until the actual day that they start, also make sure that they put away their phones as there are online videos that illustrate the best design type. You want students to discover the best design through experimentation on their own using scientific methods. Each participant starts with ten x10 cm pieces of tin foil (I do not restrict the number of pieces of tinfoil that they can use to perfect their design). There are small tubs of water around for floating the boats while they test their design. Students float their boat and add paper clips (advice one at a time). They keep adding the paper clips until they add the last one that sinks the boat. The load that the boat carries is determined by the total number of paper clips that it holds. I usually give a funny, dollar store bought prize for the students whose boats support the most paper clips. Students record their designs and results in their logbooks. We have a discussion afterwards to synthesize the students’ experiences and relate those experiences to the scientific method.

Resources:

How to make an aluminum foil boat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ3_A33WFnk

How much weight can aluminum foil boats float?

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/aluminum-foil-boats-float