The Power of Balance

Areas of Science	Energy & Power
Difficulty
Time Required	Long (2-4 weeks)

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Abstract

The Falkirk Wheel is a large rotating boat lift that can spin quickly due to precise weight balancing of its two sides

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal near Falkirk in central Scotland. It consists of two diametrically opposed caissons which rotate to lift boats between the two canals through a height of 35 meters. The wheel is always perfectly balanced and, despite its enormous mass, rotates through 180° in less than four minutes, using just 1.5 kilowatt-hours (Wikipedia contributors, 2006). Do background research to find out how much energy would be required if a system of locks were used to raise the boats instead of the Falkirk Wheel. How much energy is saved? For a more advanced project, include a comparision of construction costs for a system of locks vs. the Falkirk Wheel.

Bibliography

Wikipedia contributors, 2006. "Falkirk Wheel," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [accessed June 20, 2006] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Falkirk_Wheel&oldid=59868527.

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MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "The Power of Balance." Science Buddies, 12 Jan. 2020, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p006/energy-power/the-power-of-balance. Accessed 22 Oct. 2020.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2020, January 12). The Power of Balance. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p006/energy-power/the-power-of-balance

Last edit date: 2020-01-12

Experimental Procedure

For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk (*) at the end of the title.

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Abstract

Bibliography