Raft Wars: Which Homemade Raft Floats the Longest?
Physics and Astronomy- Grade:
- 4
- Teacher:
- Norman Dejan
My project, Raft Wars: Which Homemade Raft Floats the Longest?, investigates which material—popsicle sticks, cork, or straws—provides the best buoyancy when building a homemade raft. I chose this project because I wanted to understand how floating works and how material choice affects strength and stability in real-life situations like boat design and survival. In my experiment, I tested each raft by adding coins until it sank and measured how long it stayed afloat. Although I predicted that the straw raft would float the longest, my results showed that the cork raft held the most weight and floated for the longest average time. My overall conclusion is that cork has greater buoyancy and durability compared to the other materials tested. This project is important because it demonstrates key physics concepts such as buoyancy, density, and force, while also showing how scientific testing and careful comparison can help solve practical, real-world problems.
Your limitations and future considerations are very impressive. You are thinking like a real scientist- way to go!