Science Fair Slide Show
Float or Sink?
By: Zack Brashear
Problem
What kind of wood can you depend on to float on water with the most weight added onto it?
Hypothesis
I think that balsa wood will float with the most weight added to it.
I think this because balsa wood is very light and minutely dense.
Materials
• Wood Glue
• 5 Gallon Bucket W/ Water
• Balsa Wood
• Bass wood
Procedure
• First, Build a barge-like boat out of each type of wood.
• Second, fill a 5 gallon bucket with water about three quarters full.
• Put boat one on the water. If it sinks record 0g on paper or excel.
• If it does not sink right away add a penny.
• Keep adding pennies until it sinks.
• Take off pennies and completely dry.
• Weigh pennies and record results
• Repeat process with boat 2.
Variables
•
Controlled –
Put casing of glue on wood to prevent waterlogged wood. Use same bucket equal amount of water etc.
•
Independent –
Type of wood used to make the barge.
•
Dependant –
Amount of weight held.
Time spent
Sept 4th 20 minutes
Sept 14th 45 minutes
Sept 15th 45 minutes
Sept 16th 45 minutes
Sept 17th 45 minutes
Sept 18th 45 minutes
Sept 28th 45 minutes
Oct 1st 45 minutes
Oct 14th 45 minutes
Jan 15th 45 minutes
Results
• Boat 1 Basswood
• Weight of Boat - 36.14 grams
• Weight held -
143.71grams
• Total Weight Displaced
- 179.85 grams
• Ratio of weight held to weight of boat - 3.98
• Boat 2 Balsawood
• Weight of boat - 16.4 grams Borams
• Weight held - 133.44 grams
• Total Weight
Displaced - 149.48
• Ratio of weight held to boat weight - 8.14
Conclusion
I had an interesting result. The bass wood bot held much more weight, but the balsa wood had a better ratio. My results basically said that 1 gram of balsa wood could hold 8.14 grams of weight. The bass wood could hold 3.98 grams per gram of bass wood. So if you had two boats that were the same size made of balsa and bass the bass would win out. If you had two boats the same weight, then the balsa would win out. So i guess in a way my hypothesis was wrong. The bass boat did hold more weight when size was the matter.
Acknowledgements
• Mrs. Riffel – Use of equipment
• KP – Use of wood glue
• My mom - Bought materials
• http://www.surfnetkids.com/buoyancy.htm
• http://science.howstuffworks.com/hot-airballoon6.htm
• http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTe xtHistories.asp?historyid=aa14
