In this activity we are going to be making a propeller to power your boat. Your propeller is powered by converting elastic potential energy into kinetic energy.
For this activity you will need:
- A plastic bottle
- A milk bottle
- Tape
- Scissors
- 2 Wooden Skewers
- An elastic band
- A pencil
- A ruler
To make the propeller for your boat you first need to cut out 4 rectangles out of the plastic milk bottle. Make sure that your rectangles are all the same size.
You next want to bend your 4 rectangles in half so that they have a crease in the middle. You are then going to tape them together in a cross shape.
To attach the propeller you will need to tape 2 wooden skewers to either side of your plastic bottle, making sure that at least half of the skewer sticks out behind the end of the bottle. Wooden skewers are sharp so remember to be careful!
You can now slide an elastic band between the two wooden skewers and the propeller can then be twisted between the elastic band. As you twist the elastic band you are winding the propeller and storing the elastic potential energy to power your boat.
For this activity we have used a plastic bottle for the boat, but once you know how to make a propeller why not try building your own boat and making a propeller for it.
You can also try experimenting with different size propellers. Does a smaller/ larger propeller make your boat move faster/ slower?
The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel
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