Boat Physics

To make a boat that could proudly speed through the water to make a safe delivery is not easy work. The boat that was created in physics was not made in one day. Though it took a while and hard work the results were more than satisfactory because of things that were done to improve it. It seemed trial and error really was the key to making a good boat. That and physics, lots and lots of physics. These physics contributions involved are using the right supplies, having the correct sized propeller,using a rutter, shaping the boat size allowing it to be more aerodynamic, distributing the weight for better buoyancy and finally putting everything together to receive the best work efficiency results.

The first step in making a great boat is

Increasing the time as it took a more roundaboat way to get there (pun intended.) The Gap needed something that would increase its trajectory to more of a straight path without adding too much weight. The solution was found in the styrofoam stand the motor sat on and a popsicle stick cut in half. Sticking the popsicled stick through the styrofoam so it protruded out of the bottom creating a rutter. It worked so well because of the placement at the back of the boat. Allowing it to guide the rear in where it wanted to boat to go much how a car works. It was also discovered that the angle of the rudder was very important. Like in a car when the steering wheel is turned left the car goes left and when it is turned right it goes right, this same result was reflected in our boat and it’s rutter position. When the rudder was stuck in straight up it was able to efficiently guide the boat in a straighter path. With the rudder on placed on the gap it was able to perform in 4.11 seconds significantly improving its speed. (see chart on rutter time

It is known that Acceleration equals force divided by mass. The more the mass is increased the more acceleration decreases causing the boat to go slower. At this point the Gap had too much mass. Well mass that wasn’t well distributed. The Gap had already received significant weight loss through shaving it as discussed earlier. The weight had also been reduced through using lightweight material such as popsicle sticks, and styrofoam also mentioned earlier. Though this was contributing greatly it was discovered that the boats was tilting far back into the water reducing buoyancy and work efficiency. The end was to heavy, it was too heavy because the motor and the battery pack were congested in the same place, producing a heavy back end. It was determined that the battery pack needed to be placed closer to the front. Though this seemed like the solution it had to be done without adding too much more weight. The solution was just one sweet frozen treat away. Using a popsicle stick he battery pack was slim enough to place on then the wires were connected and the battery pack was moved closer to the front as far as it could go without disconnecting. This greatly helped with the weight distribution and the Gap had better