Sixth Grade, Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 4)

Aluminum Foil Boat Design: Surviving the Stormy Seas

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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People have used boats to transport things around the world for thousands of years. Unfortunately, those boats can be vulnerable to stormy seas and they can capsize. This lesson expands on the classic "aluminum foil boat" project. Normally, students would build a boat from a sheet of aluminum foil and see how much weight it can hold—in still water—before sinking. In this project, they will find out how well their boats hold up to waves! Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Buoyancy of Floating Cylinders

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

This science project presents an interesting puzzle. A disk of wood will float face-up; that is, with its circular cross-section parallel to the surface of the water. A long log of wood, however, floats on its side with the circular cross-section perpendicular to the surface of the water. If you think about it, disks and logs are both cylinders. Is there some intermediate length of cylinder that floats with the circular cross-section at a tilted angle? Try this experiment to find out! Read more

How Does the Number of Parachutes Affect Terminal Velocity?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered how astronauts land safely back on Earth? Many spaceships use a small crew capsule with multiple large parachutes to bring the astronauts down to a gentle landing either on the ground or in the ocean. What happens if one or more of the parachutes fails to deploy? Can the astronauts still land safely? Find out as you explore the physics of falling with parachutes in this project. Read more

How Low Can It Go? Design a Kite that Flies Best in Low Winds

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Flying kites is an excellent way to learn about aerodynamic forces. In this science fair project, you will build and test a variety of kite designs to see which flies best in low wind speeds. You will use an inexpensive anemometer to accurately measure the wind speed. Since you will be choosing which kites to build and test, the experimental procedure provides a general outline for the experiments, but there is a lot of opportunity for you to be creative with your kite designs. This is a DIY… Read more

Making It Shipshape: Hull Design and Hydrodynamics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Sailboats, tugboats, barges, ocean liners, submarines are all different boats with different shapes. How does the shape of a boat's hull affect how easily it moves through the water? This project shows you how you can investigate this question using a homemade water trough and model boat hulls. Read more

Modifying a Car for Better Aerodynamics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever seen those cool wind tunnel pictures of cars with streams of smoke blowing over them? You do not need access to a wind tunnel to do a car aerodynamics science project! In this project you will use cheap, readily available materials—tape and yarn—to visualize airflow over a car. You will examine how you can affect the airflow over the car by making changes, like adding or removing accessories or making body modifications out of cardboard and duct tape. Maybe you can… Read more

Riding on Air—Build a Real Hovercraft

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Looking for an exciting new mode of transportation? In this science fair project, you will build a working hovercraft that will glide over surfaces on a cushion of air. And it's simpler to build than you might think! Read more

Rocking the Boat

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

When a ship rocks back and forth, it can make people seasick. Even worse, it can make it dangerous for jets to land on aircraft carriers. For these reasons and many others, it's important for engineers to design bilge keels (or fins) to keep boats from rolling back and forth. Become an engineer for a day and discover the best way to keep from rocking the boat in this engineering science fair project! Read more

Solar Sails: The Future of Space Travel

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

Working as if they were engineers, students design and construct model solar sails made of aluminum foil to move cardboard tube satellites through "space" on a string. Working in teams, they follow the engineering design thinking steps—ask, research, imagine, plan, create, test, improve—to design and test small-scale solar sails for satellites and space probes. During the process, learn about Newton's laws of motion and the transfer of energy from wave energy to… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
MS-PS2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object's motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
MS-PS2-1.. Apply Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.

The Aerodynamics of Flying a Frisbee

STEM Activity

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Are you good at tossing a Frisbee? Have you ever wondered how a Frisbee is able to fly through the air so well? If you can throw a perfect, arcing curve, right on target, you have already trained your arm on the aerodynamics of Frisbee flight! In this science activity, you will investigate how the angle at which you throw the Frisbee affects its flight's direction and distance. Next time you are out tossing a Frisbee, this little lesson in aerodynamics may help make your throws be even… Read more

Sixth Grade, Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics Projects, Lessons, Activities (55 results)

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