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Conducting simple and fun science experiments at home boosts your child’s success at school. While working together on an investigation you will be providing experiences that make science familiar in the classroom:
Science: Start with a Question:
How many nickels will an aluminum foil boat hold?
Get:
- a roll of aluminum foil
- about 20 nickels
- a bucket or sink or tub full of water
Investigate: Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil about five inches square and place it onto the water’s surface. Does it float?
Try It: Put a nickel on the foil. What happens? If the nickel floats, add another nickel. How many nickels can the aluminum hold before it sinks? Fold and form your boat into a shape with edges. Try different shapes. Add more nickels. Which shape holds the most nickels?
Science Behind the Investigation
Gravity is trying to pull the aluminum foil and pennies downward. The force of buoyancy is pushing the boat toward the surface. A boat will float as long as the force of buoyancy is greater than the force of gravity and you do not overload the boat so it will tip over or leak.
For more science fun go to www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html
