Year 5 - investigating upthrust

Year 5 were set the challenge - make a ‘boat’ (really a raft), using only one piece of tinfoil, that would allow for the most upthrust and therefore be able to hold the most mass. It proved to be trickier than they thought and their initial ideas tended to be about making it streamlined which did not work. The eventual winner in Olympus was Logan, whose creation held an impressive 140g before sinking. One group in Mont Blanc claimed 160g but that needs to be confirmed! Careful positioning of the plastic masses was needed to ensure even distribution.
The conclusion reached was that the greater the surface area, the greater the amount of upthrust and therefore the more mass could be held.