Phenomenon:
As winds blow harder, sailboats move faster.
Inquiry:
How did people move across the oceans before there were engines?
Guiding Questions:
- How does wind affect the movement of sailboats?
- What would happen to the movement of a sailboat if the force of wind is balanced with another force?
Activity:
Build a model of a sailboat to investigate the effects of wind energy coming from different directions with varying strength.
Materials:
- Student Worksheet and Teacher Answer Guide (attached below)
Boat Building Supplies
- Boat base (choose one of the following):
- Egg carton
- Cardboard
- Plastic container (i.e. tupperware)
- Aluminum foil
- Heavy paper
- Mast (choose one of the following):
- Wooden skewer
- Chopsticks
- Popsicle sticks
- Craft sticks
- Small tree branches
- Sail supplies (choose one of the following):
- Construction paper
- Cloth
- Foil
- Glue or tape
- Optional: Pennies or another small object to add weight to the boats.
Testing the Wind Materials
- Large tray or bucket to hold water
- Fan
- Hairdryer
- Optional: Straw (metal, silicone, or paper to limit the use of single use plastics)
Teacher Recommendations:
- Boats can take all shapes and sizes - students can get creative with how they construct their boat—as long as it floats and catches wind!
- When considering what to use to represent the ocean, keep in mind that the boats will be moving across the surface of the water. Using a container with a larger surface area will yeild the best results. If there is a pond nearby, consider using that!
- This activity can be connected with content from Earth and Space Science lessons on Hurricanes and Designs that Survive Storms:
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Procedure:
- Follow along on your worksheet to build a boat and test the winds!
Build a model of a sailboat:
- Create a boat base from your chosen material (i.e. folded tinfoil, cardboard box, plastic container).
- Cut a rectangle from construction paper to make your sail. Decorate it!
- Poke two small holes in line at the top and bottom of the sail. Get help from your teacher as needed!
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Attach the sail to the mast (chopstick, skewer, stick, or similar material) by guiding the stick through the holes. Add tape or glue as necessary to secure it (Fig. 2).
- Create an ‘ocean’ (bowl or pan of water) and place your sailboat on the surface of the water.
- Optional: add pennies or other items to the boat to help weigh it down and sit properly in the water.
- Draw a picture of what your boat looks like. Label the parts.
Test the winds:
- Before testing the effect of wind on your sailboat, think about your hypotheses and record them on your data table:
- How will the force of wind affect the motion of my sailboat? (i.e. Will there be a difference in your boat's movement when the wind is weaker compared to when the wind is stronger?)
- How will the direction of wind affect the motion of my sailboat? (i.e. Will your boat move sideways, straight ahead, backwards, etc.?)
- Conduct your trials.
Trial #1: Direct Winds
- Blow gently on your sailboat using your breath. You may also blow through straw to help direct your ʻwind.ʻ (Please use a metal, cardboard, or other type of non-plastic straw!)
- Record your observations on the data table.
Trial #2: Indirect Winds
- Use a fan to blow wind toward your sailboat. Place the fan pointing in the general direction of the sailboat. Turn the fan onto the lowest setting.
- Record your observations on the data table
Trial #3: Strong Winds
- Use a hairdryer to blow from different directions on your sailboat.
- Switch between high and low settings.
- Record your observations on the data table.
Trial #4: Equal Winds
- Using either hairdryers or your breath, blow on one side of your sailboat while your partner blows with the same force on the opposite side.
- Record your observations on the data table.
Data Table:
TEST: What will I do? |
PREDICTION: What will happen? |
OBSERVATION DATA:
What do I observe? (use words and/or a labeled drawing.) |
Trial #1 - Blow directly on the sailboat |
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Trial #2 - Blow indirectly toward the sailboat |
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Trial #3 - Blow strongly on the sailboat |
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Trial #4 - Blow at the same time as your partner (facing each other) on the sailboat |
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Activity Questions:
- When a sailboat is floating but not moving, the forces acting on it are (circle one):
- balanced
- unbalanced
- When a sailboat is moving, the forces acting on it are (circle one):
- balanced
- unbalanced
- When your boat is not moving, there are forces acting on it to keep it floating on the water. However the boat does not move because those forces are balanced.
- What balanced forces are acting on the floating sailboat?
- What additional forces could you apply to cause the boat to move?
- What happened when you blew gently on the sailboat?
- What happened when you blew harder?
- What changed when your partner blew at the same time as you? Were the forces balanced or unbalanced?
- When you push a ball and it rolls on the floor, is this a balanced or unbalanced force?
- You have been testing wind as an unbalanced force that moves sailboats. Give an example of another unbalanced force that can cause an object to move.
- How might sailors use the knowledge of winds to plan for voyages?