For thousands of years, people have been using ships to transport things all over the world. Unfortunately, these ships are vulnerable to storms and may capsize. This course extends the classic “aluminum foil boat” project. Usually, students will build a ship with a piece of aluminum foil and see how much weight it can hold – still water before sinking.
In this project, they will find out how their ship can meet the waves!
Materials we need to prepare before starting
aluminum foil
·Large plastic bathtub (more bathtubs can allow more students to test at one time)
·Towel
·A uniform small object used as a “cargo”. You can use anything available: coins, marble, beans, etc.
·Meter ruler
·A falling object, such as a rock or a heavy ball, creates waves
Step 1
Cut a sheet of aluminum foil into a rectangle using scissors to measure 8 inches long by 6 inches wide. Place the rectangle vertically in front of you on a flat surface.
Step 2
Fold the top two corners over by 3 inches, touching the top edges together. Press the folds flat with your hand.
Step 3
Fold the bottom two corners up by 3 inches, touching the bottom edges together. Press the folds flat with your hand.
Step 4
Apply waterproof tacky glue onto the surface of the top folded ends, then press them together. Repeat to glue together the bottom folds. Allow the glue to dry for 30 minutes. This will create a boat form from the aluminum foil.
Step 5
Press your fingers into the boat form, and flatten the bottom of the boat into a rectangular form. This will stabilize the boat, enabling it to hold objects while staying afloat in the water.
