All sorts of activities can grow out of an initial introduction to boats. For example, the simple question, “why do boats float?” can lead to extensive investigations of buoyancy and pressure, boat shape, properties of materials, and methods of scientific investigation.

The slide show below shows the results of one morning with a group of adults making model boats and asking how much weight they can carry. This led to discoveries about strength of materials, the concept of ballast, measurement, and more.

• Science Buddies Staff (2014, October 22). How much weight can your boat float?. Retrieved May 11, 2015 from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Aero_p020.shtml

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