The Power of Balance

Difficulty
Time Required	Long (2-4 weeks)

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Abstract

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.

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MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "The Power of Balance" Science Buddies. Science Buddies, 28 July 2017. Web. 25 Apr. 2018 <https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p006/energy-power/the-power-of-balance>

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). The Power of Balance. Retrieved April 25, 2018 from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p006/energy-power/the-power-of-balance

Last edit date: 2017-07-28

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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The Power of Balance *

Abstract