Experimental Results & Conclusion

Mckenzie Patrick

Graph of ResultsThe Effect of the Circumference of the Balloon on the Mass the Boat Can Hold Without

Sinking

408.5

62.5

9.50

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

0 cm 20 cm 35 cm

Circumference of the Balloon (cm)

Mas

s th

e B

oat

Hel

d (

g)

Data Table of Results

The Effect of the Circumference of the Balloon on the Mass the Boat Can Hold Without Sinking

Circumference of Mass of

Mass the Boat Held (g)          

the Balloon (cm) the Boat (g)

Trial 1 Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Trial 5

Trial 6

Trial 7

Trial 8

Trial 9

Trial 10

Average

0 cm

34.9 g 430 402.5

377.5

377.5 402.5

410 420 427.5

412.5

425 408.5

20 cm 34.9 g 80 65 55 75 55 62.5 50 57.5 65 60 62.5

35 cm 34.9 g 12.5 10 7.5 7.5 10 10 10 10 10 7.5 9.5

Photos

Conclusion Part 1The problem question investigated in The Boat Must Float

was, “What is the effect of the circumference of the balloon on the mass the boat can hold without sinking?” The hypothesis was, “If the balloon is inflated to a circumference of 20 cm then it will hold a greater mass than the boat with a balloon inflated to a circumference of 35 cm because it will lower the center of gravity and make it less vulnerable to tipping.” The hypothesis was supported. After conducting the investigation, it showed that the boat with a balloon inflated to a circumference of 0 cm held the greatest average number of pennies, 163.4. The boat with a 20 cm circumference balloon held an average of 25 pennies. The boat with a 35 cm circumference balloon held an average of only 3.8 pennies. Although the boat with a 20 cm circumference balloon did not hold the highest amount of average pennies, it still held more than the boat with a 35 cm circumference and supported the hypothesis.

Conclusion Part 2There were a couple sources of error in the investigation.

One was that after each trial, the boat got more water in it that could not all be gotten out. This caused the boat to be a bit uneven. Another source of error was how the pennies were distributed throughout the cup atop the balloon. If a few too many pennies are placed to one side, the boat begins to tip. The data was consistent and reliable. The largest range between the three boats’ trials was 12 pennies, and there were no outliers. In this investigation, it was noted that balance played a huge role. The higher the cup was due to the size of the balloon, the more prone the boat was to tipping as soon as the mass of the cup became unbalanced. The balloon lowering the center of gravity was not enough to change this fact. After completing the investigation, it is realized that the best boat to connect with the final design is the boat with the 0 cm circumference balloon. One change to make to the final design is to remove the balloon and cup as the bowl can carry the pennies and they are unnecessary weight. A future experiment to conduct that could improve the final design is to compare a boat with tape covering the sides and one without to see if it is also an unnecessary weight.