Today in Hazel class we learned all about boats and how they float.

Archimedes’ Principle states that the force exerted on an object in a fluid is equal to the weight of fluid displaced (moved out of the way) by the object. This force is called buoyant force. The buoyant force pushes upwards against the object. Gravity exerts a downward force on the object (its weight), which is determined by the object’s mass. So if the force exerted downward on the object by gravity is less than the buoyant force, the object will float.

 

We wanted to test this by making our very own boats. Have a look at the pictures below to see the making and then the testing of our boats.