1. Air propulsion Motor Boats
(Simple Electric Circuit)
Combine the joy and excitement of mechanical toys
with your science project by constructing an air
propelled motor boat. This is also a good way of
learning about simple electric circuits. Your boat will
have a battery, a switch and a motor with
propeller. This can be used as a science project related
to electricity, force or floatation. This idea is good for a
display project, an engineering project and an
experimental (investigatory) project.
The main structure is made of Styrofoam board that is
available at hardware stores and home improvement
stores.
Material used in this project are: Simple
Switch, Electric Motor, Battery Holder,
Propeller, Screws and Wire.
All the materials are from the "Car Boat Kit".
This kit also include wheels and axles in case
you need to convert your boar to a hybrid
vehicle that can drive both in dry land and in
water.
Procedure:
Start by cutting the foam. You can cut the Styrofoam
easily with utility knives. Just practice for a few
minutes and you will get the grip on it. Hold the knife
in a sharp angle and don't push too much. You may
need to go over the same line a few times until you get
a clean cut.
Styrofoam boards can be glued using white glue or
wood glue. They can also be painted using any latex
paint or water based paint.
2. Feel free on making your own design. Just reserve a
place where you can place the electric motor and secure
it with tape.
Battery is a heavy piece; it must be centered in order
for your boat to have a balance on water. Adjustments
may be made by placing other heavy objects onboard.
Please note that with this method you are not restricted
to a boat. You may also make a car that drives by
pushing the air backward. You just need four wheels and
four nails. Make sure that the wheels are large enough
and can spin freely.
To hide the battery and switch, you may also use some
cardboard to make a cabin and place it over those parts.
The boat that you see in the picture does not have a
steering mechanism. You may try different possible
methods to construct a steeling mechanism in your
boat.
Finally you can make a vehicle that can drive
both on land and in water. To do that simply
attach the wheels to the sides of the boat.
If you did not get sheaves in your kit, use the
wheels of any plastic toy car instead.
Material that comes with the kit may be used in many other projects as well.
3. Two pictures of a simple air
propelled electric car. With
some creativity and artwork
you can make this a must
better project.
The Kit Contains the electric motor, simple switch,
battery holder, wire, light bulb, screw base for light bulb,
wire, screws and propeller.
You will need additional material and tools such as
Styrofoam board, wood, nail, water color, screw driver,
battery and utility knife.
The electric circuit you make in this project is a simple
electric circuit containing a power source (battery), a
switch and a resistor (the motor).
Car Boat Kit Part#KITCB
This kit does not include pieces of wood or Styrofoam that you may use to make the boat.
Both of these items are generally available in craft stores. Styrofoam is also available in
Home Depot and some other hardware stores.
