The Secret of Ships. All hands on deck as you explore the science of boats as well as your own shipbuilding skills. Ahoy! sciencetech.technomuses.

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1 The Secret of Ships Did you know that boats are one of the oldest forms of transportation in the world? Boats have been used for more than 7,000 years, and are just as important today. There are all kinds of boats: some watercrafts barely touch the surface they float on, while others are completely submerged. All hands on deck as you explore the science of boats as well as your own shipbuilding skills. Ahoy!

2 Shipyard Choosing good materials and a good design are essential in building a ship that can sail without capsizing, whether the seas are calm or stormy. For this activity, you will use your imagination to design a boat. Don t forget that there are many types of boats, including ocean liners, sailboats, rafts, submarines, and so on. Each of these boats is very different, and each has a different purpose. What is the purpose of your boat? What will your boat look like? Materials You need only a few of these objects. Don t hesitate to add others you think would be interesting. aluminum foil fabric juice boxes plastic utensils Popsicle sticks modelling clay corks tape straws balsa wood plastic bottles small marbles or balls Styrofoam cups Styrofoam plates plastic plates Let s get to work! of modelling clay plastic containers (margarine or ice cream) 1. Test all the objects you ve collected by placing each one in a bowl filled with water. Do the objects float or sink? 2. If the object sinks, can you change its shape to make it float? For example, if you put a ball of modelling clay in the water, it will sink, but what happens if you form it into the shape of a bowl? 3. Once you have tested the objects, and the shapes that float, choose a material and shape for your boat s construction. For example: aluminium foil shaped into whatever form of boat you wish. 4. Use the other objects you collected to decorate your boat. 5. Test the sturdiness and stability of your boat by adding marbles or balls of modelling clay, one by one. If the boat capsizes, reshape the form. Upload photos of your naval creations on Flickr at this address: essayer ceci/. Use the tags craft and shipyard. This list of questions and solutions will help you determine the shape of your boat. Does your boat have a sail? If yes, make sure that the sail is stable, to keep your boat from tipping over. Is your boat fast? If yes, a long, light shape will help your boat glide easily over the water. Does your boat carry a heavy load (passengers or merchandise)? If yes, create a wide, hollow form to contain and support all that weight without capsizing. Is the sea shallow where your boat will be sailing? If yes, use materials that float lightly on top of the water.

3 Whatever Floats Your Boat The object of this challenge is simple: design and build a floating boat using one sheet of aluminum. The challenge is that you ll be piling on as much cargo weight as possible. Get your friends and family in on the fun by holding a boat-building contest to see whose boat can hold the most cargo. Materials 1 piece of aluminum foil, 30 cm 30 cm, per person 20 to 30 coins, marbles, candies, or other small objects a bassin of water Let s get started! 1. Fold, crumple, and shape your piece of foil into a boat that will float in the bassin of water. 2. Add one small object into the boat one at a time this is your boat s cargo. How much cargo can your boat hold before it sinks? 3. Record how many objects your boat contained before sinking. The body of a ship is called the hull. To increase the cargo capacity on a large ship, it is built with a wide and deep hull. This shape of hull displaces more water and increases the buoyant force acting on the ship, keeping it afloat. Take this activity to the next level: invite your friends and family to design their own boats with a sheet of aluminum foil. Test each boat to see which can hold the most cargo before it sinks. What shape is the boat that is able to hold the most? Archimedes principle states that an object in a fluid is pushed upwards by the buoyant force of the displaced fluid. If the weight of the object pushes down with more force than the upward buoyant force, then the object will sink. weight buoyant force

4 Energy to Sail A boat is an excellent mode of transportation, but it needs energy to move. There are several sources of energy that can propel watercraft, from the smallest boats to the largest ships. Can you name some of these energy sources? In this experiment, you will test two sources of energy that propel watercraft wind energy and mechanical energy using small models that you make yourself. Wind in Your Sails One source of energy that propels watercraft is the wind: this is called aeolian energy, or wind energy. Wind has propelled watercraft for millennia, thanks to the development of sails. But, as you can imagine, sails are only useful as long as there is wind, and only if the wind is blowing in the right direction. Boats driven by the wind are called sailboats, or sailing ships. Materials 16 Popsicle sticks 1 straw white glue tape modelling clay fabric or cardboard a piece of string, 15 cm long Let s get to work! 1. Line up ten Popsicle sticks flat, side to side. 2. Apply a small amount of white glue along the thin edge of each stick (except the outside edge of the first and last sticks), then slide them together so that they stick to one another, forming the deck of your boat. To make the structure more sturdy, you can apply a piece of tape across the sticks to bind them together. Wait until the glue is dry and the Popsicle sticks are firmly stuck together before proceeding to the next step. 3. Glue three Popsicle sticks flat sides together. This stack is a pontoon. Make a second pontoon. 4. Position the pontoons on the underside of the deck, perpendicular to the deck sticks. Fasten them to the deck with glue 5. Shape a 3-cm ball with modelling clay, and position it in the centre of the deck. Make sure that the modelling clay is firmly stuck to the deck. 6. Push the straw into the centre of the modelling clay. This is the mast. 7. Cut a piece of fabric or cardboard into a triangle. This is the sail. The height of the sail must not be more than the height of the mast. 8. Attach one tip of the sail to the top of the mast with a piece of tape. 9. Tape one end of the string to one of the lower tips of the sail. Tape the other end of the string to the last tip of the sail. Make sure the string goes around the mast. 10. Voila! Your boat is ready to face the wind. Test it in a sink, a bucket, or in a bathtub. Blow on the sail, or use a fan, to produce wind energy to make your sailboat move.

5 Step 2 Step 3 Step 6 Step 10 Step 13 Mechanical Energy In this experiment, you will see mechanical energy in action, using a propeller to move your boat across water. Ocean liners and cruise ships, for example, have a propeller located at the stern (the back), under the water. The fins of the propeller rotate through the water, making the boat move in the opposite direction. Materials milk carton 2 Popsicle sticks rubber band hard plastic (e.g., plastic bottle) white glue scissors Let s get to work! 1. Wash out the milk carton and cut it in half lengthwise; this step can be hard to do, so ask an adult to help you if necessary. The top of the milk carton will be the bow (front) of the boat, while the bottom of the carton will be the stern (back) of the boat. 2. Glue one Popsicle stick to the side of the boat, so that it extends 4 cm beyond the stern. Glue the second Popsicle stick to the other side of the boat. Wait for the glue to dry before proceeding to the next step. 3. Cut a piece of hard plastic in a rectangular shape measuring 5 cm by 7 cm. This is the propeller. 4. Loop the rubber band around one Popsicle stick, then twist the band once before looping it around the other stick. The rubber band should not be too tight. 5. Place the propeller vertically into the twist of the rubber band. Wind the propeller several times, until the rubber band is tightly twisted. 6. Keeping the propeller wound up, place the boat in a sink, a bucket, or a bathtub filled with water. Release the propeller. The boat will move forward as the rubber band unwinds.

6 Aye, Aye, Captain! Did you know that a ship s crew does not use the words left and right? Did you know that there are no windows on a ship? Learn naval vocabulary in this version of the traditional children s game, Simon Says. Game rules 1. At least three players are required. One is the captain, and the rest are sailors. The sailors must follow the captain s orders to the letter, or risk being thrown overboard (that is, being eliminated from the game). 2. If playing indoors, players decide which sides of the room will be the bow and stern of the ship, and which sides are port and starboard. A door can represent a harbour, while windows can represent portholes. If playing outdoors, players decide where the harbour and the portholes are. 3. All players must learn the vocabulary below. When the captain of the ship gives an order, all sailors must be ready to carry it out! Naval Word Definition Captain s Order Sailors Action port left, when facing the bow (front) of the boat Everyone to port! Move towards the port side (left). starboard right, when facing the bow (front) of the boat Everyone to starboard! Move towards the starboard side (right). porthole window Touch a porthole! Touch a porthole (window). bow front of the boat Everyone to the bow! Move towards the bow (front) of the boat. stern back of the boat Everyone to the stern! Move towards the stern (back) of the boat. harbour place on a body of water where boats can dock Everyone go to the harbour! Move towards the harbour (door). deck anchor main floor of the boat, located outside, where passengers and equipment move around heavy object, hung from a chain or rope, that is thrown into the water to hook onto the ocean floor, keeping the boat in one place All hands on deck! Drop anchor! Hoist the anchor! Form a line, standing side to side, in the centre of the boat. Mime throwing an anchor overboard. Mime pulling up an anchor.

7 Deck Stern Starboard Bow Porthole Anchor How to play Hull Port The captain of the ship gives the orders. If the caption says Captain says before giving an order, the sailors must respond Aye, aye, Captain! and follow the order. If the captain does not say Captain says, the sailors do not have to follow the order. If a sailor acts without the captain saying Captain says, the sailor is eliminated for the rest of the game. The captain s orders don t need to be limited to those provided above; the captain can also give commands like hop on one foot, put your hands behind your head, or spin around. Be creative and invent new orders to give the sailors. A sailor who does not do what the captain says is eliminated. The game ends when there is only one sailor left. This sailor is declared the winner and becomes the captain for the next game. Most of the materials required for the experiments are common household items. You may need to borrow some, and purchase others at the store. Styrofoam plates bassin Popsicle sticks marbles balsa wood juice boxes milk carton corks plastic bottles cardboard white glue aluminum foil plastic containers modelling clay rubber band string straws tape plastic plates fabric

8 Book Arthur s Dream Boat by Polly Dunbar Arthur had an extraordinary dream about a big pink and green boat with a striped mast and a fancy figurehead. He can t wait to tell his family about it, but no one is interested. His family does not even notice when the boat appears on top of his head, growing larger every minute. Will they start to listen now? (Candlewick Press, 2012) Internet Links Titanic Stories Are you fascinated by this famous ship that sank 100 years ago, in 1912? This website, developed by the city of Belfast, Ireland, where the Titanic was built, features in-depth stories about the ship s construction, the passengers, the voyage, and the fateful night it sank, as well as the repercussions of this tragedy. Eng: titanic.com/home.aspx Fr: titanic.com/fr/accueil.aspx Online Game Set sail on a race on the Atlantic Ocean aboard a tall ship. Collect national flags from all the ports you visit. Be careful the water is treacherous along the coasts!