Name ______
Assignment: Design, build and the fastest air-propelled motorized speedboat.
Restrictions: The boat must fit in the box lengthways. The propellers and hull must be constructed – not purchased. Batteries are supplied by the team – not the teacher.
Hull Design Part 1: 5 Marks
1) You want to make the boat as light as possible. You need to use a motor, a battery, two alligator clips, a propeller and as little Styrofoam as possible. Experiment with balancing the materials on small rectangles of Styrofoam. What is the volume of the smallest piece of Styrofoam that will float all the other materials and still stick at least 1-cm out of the water? Provide the three measured dimensions and show how you calculated the volume.
2) The three hulls below use the same amount of Styrofoam.
a) Which one or two will have the best side-to-side balance? Explain.
b) Which one or two will have the best front to back balance? Explain.
c) Which one or two will travel straightest? Explain.
d) Which one or two will have to push the least water out of the way? Explain.
e) Which of the three designs should you choose? Explain.
Hull Design Part 2: 5 Marks Name ______
3) Width
a) What is the widest that your boat could be? What did you measure?
b) How wide should your boat be? Explain.
4) Length
a) What is the longest that your boat can be? What did you measure?
b) How long should your boat be? Explain.
5) Front view: Draw a neat and accurate diagram of what the front view of your boat will look like. Make the diagram exactly the same size as your design. Clearly label the dimensions on the diagram.
6) Side View: Draw a neat scaled down diagram of the side view of your hull, showing how you will alter the rectangular shape slightly to make it cut through the water better.
7) Top View: Draw a neat scaled down diagram of the top view of your hull, showing how you will alter the rectangular shape slightly to make it cut through the water better.
Propulsion System: 5 Marks Name ______
8) Write step-by-step instructions of how to form a propeller from a single piece of wood.
9) You want to make many different propellers to see what works best. What can you change that might make the propellers better?
10) Write step-by-step instructions of how you can attach the propellers firmly to the motor shaft.
11) The motor must be mounted at the right height.
a) What will happen if it is too low?
b) What will happen if it is too high?
c) How high will your motor be above the top of the hull? Explain what you measured. (A diagram might help.)
12) The motor and batteries need to be balanced side-by-side and front to back.
a) The motor will be glued into place. Where will this be? Explain your choice.
b) The battery will be attached to the hull. Where will this be? Explain your choice.