Physics and the movement of boats – experimental activities (down by the water): Experimental activities carried out by boat on the water

Physics and the movement of boats – experimental activities (down by the water)

Physics

Lesson plan #3

ABOUT THE LESSON
Topic	Physics and the movement of boats – experimental activities (down by the water)
Duration	2 x 1 hour (2 x 45 min)
Assumed prior knowledge	Concepts studied with respect to the 2nd Principle of Mechanics: velocity, relative velocity, acceleration, inertial force, mechanical impulse (Lesson no. 1). Development analysis and problem-solving skills, related to theoretical problems associated with the movement of boats (Lesson no. 2).
Goal(s) of the lesson	Learning through experimental investigation, carried out to determine various physical quantities, associated with the movement of the boats built by students, at the edge of the water selected for experiments (river, lake, sea, or swimming pool).
The big idea behind the topic	Developing skills to correlate theoretical knowledge with phenomena observed during experiments. Examples (see links): river flow speed; the relative speed of a boat compared to the water; speed of a boat relative to the shore; the time in which a boat (with the engine on/off) covers a given distance in the direction of the flow of a river or in the opposite direction; the time in which a motor boat crosses a river; the maximum speed of a motor boat; hull speed.
Results of the lesson	Developing critical and abstract thinking ability, with respect to Physics design elements and real-world applications.
Competencies	Specific competences: Development of skills and abilities to work independently as well as in a team. Correct use of vocabulary in describing phenomena; Learning the skills to correlate theoretical knowledge with the phenomena observed in practice. Derived competences: Defining and fixing the concepts: distance, speed, time, relative speed, temperature (DC1). Description of the experimental activities to be carried out and the way of working (DC2). Explanation of how to calculate the speed of the river, the relative speed of the boat compared to the ground (DC3). Specifying the main sources of errors and the causes of their occurrence (DC4).
Methods	Teaching methods: Heuristic conversation; Explanation; Problematization; Algorithmization Experiment; Learning through discovery Forms of activity: Frontal – for updating knowledge; In teams – 5 groups with 4-5 students each
Relevance to the curriculum	Developing independent and teamwork skills. Correctly using the vocabulary in describing physics and natural phenomena. Developing the skills to correlate theoretical knowledge with phenomena observed during experiments. Description of the tools used and the working steps. Specifying the main sources of errors in the experimental investigation and the causes of their occurrence. Developing critical and abstract thinking ability, with respect to Physics design elements and real-world applications. Might be related to: Chemistry and Biology, Sensors Sampling Communications, Filtering, and Building Motors Modules two Content Units, in 9th grade Physics Curriculum (Principles and laws in classic Mechanics, Variation theorems and Conservation laws in Mechanics); technological disciplines, if available at curriculum level (for instance, referring to the calculation of various mechanical measurements).
Stakeholder involvement	Independent school activities (correlated with the Biology and Chemistry ones). Possible assistance or/and support offered by local authorities and/or local waters administration institutions.

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS NEEDED

For 1 team of 5 students

Item	Quantity	Remarks
Computers (in school labs), with Internet access	1-2/team (1/student, if available)	Other available IT equipment can be used (laptops, tablets, mobile phones), with Internet access The lesson is experimental, so it may be organized in two parts: one on the field (down by the water) – collection of necessary data; one in a classroom, in a Physics lab or in an IT lab, depending on available facilities – calculation of the required data, filling the data tables and reports.
Ruler or/and roulette for distances	1/team
Timer for time record	1/team
Balls	2-5/team
Wooden plates	2-5/team
String, nylon thread	3-10 m/ team
Experimental data tables	2/team
Virtual measurements labs (if available)	1/team

This is a recommended list:

Observations

In each class / lab, 1-2 blackboards or whiteboards (magnetic and/or interactive), with chalk or markers to write on, will be available.
Teachers will offer students necessary informative and practical support (worksheets, electronic presentations, online thematic images, videos, and tutorials).

STEP-BY-STEP ACTIVITIES
Step 1 (2 min)	Organizational moment (checking presence, capturing attention, preparing didactic materials, etc.)
Step 2 (10 min)	Updating the previous knowledge necessary for teaching. Students are asked questions related to theoretical notions, such as: uniform rectilinear movement and uniformly varied rectilinear movement; velocity and relative velocity, distance, time friction force. Presentation of the the pursued derived competences, during the experimental activities (DC1, DC2, DC3, DC4).
Step 3 (70 min)	Working method The class is divided into 5 groups, including 4-5 students, and each group receives the report of the work, the measuring instruments, and the table with experimental data. Teacher explains the work technique and provides the necessary work protection. Teacher presents the work stages, and then supervises and guides the experimental activity, following the work method, included in the report of the work. Students work in groups and complete the worksheet data table with the calculated values. Teacher processes groups data, with the help of the students, and then compares the obtained values between the groups. Teacher explains the appearance of the main sources of errors.
Step 4 (6 min)	Fixation and consolidation of the acquired knowledge, through the drawn final conclusions. Feedback through short questions and answers related to the experimental activity: "What are the main causes of gross errors?" "What did you like the most during the lesson?" "Which group worked best?" Filling in a K-W-L (Know-Want to know-Learned) table or diagram (if necessary / applicable).
Step 5 (2 min)	Conclusions: specifying the homework (if necessary / applicable); oral or/and written appreciation (grades) for the students who were very active during the experimental activity.
Assessment	Oral current check Systematic observation of students
Useful links	English: https://www.epa.ie/our-services/monitoring--assessment/freshwater--marine/rivers/water-level-and-flow/how-we-measure-water-level-and-flow-of-rivers/ Definition of terms: Hull speed: the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the boat length. In the sail ship era, the hull speed was regarded as an approximate limit for the speed a ship could reach. Synonym: displacement speed (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hull_speed) Wavelength: the length of a single cycle of a wave, as measured by the distance between one peak or trough of a wave and the next; it is often designated in physics as λ, and corresponds to the velocity of the wave divided by its frequency (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wavelength) Bow wave: the wave that forms at the bow of a ship as it moves through the water, and defines the outer limits of the ship's wake (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bow_wave) Wake: the path left behind a ship on the surface of the water (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wake) Romanian: https://youtu.be/mHyETKWaA3o

Report of the laboratory work (for groups of 5 students)

I. Determination of the flow speed of the river (water) relative to the bank

a) Required materials: report of the work, table of experimental data, timer, meter, balls, wooden plates, strings, nylon threads, built and equipped boats, computers and other IT equipment, mobile phones, etc.

b) Principle of the method

The Average Velocity formula is one of the most fundamental concepts in physics, used to calculate the average speed of a moving object. It is calculated by dividing the distance traveled between two points by the time it took to travel this distance.

v =

Δx – distance traveled between two points AB

Δt – time it took to travel this distance

The Average Velocity formula is extremely important in Physics, because it can be used:

to determine the speed of a moving object;
to estimate how fast an object can be moved from one point to another.

c) The experimental procedure:

measure the portion of the river for which the flow speed of the river AB is calculated in meters;
choose an object that floats above the water, has a lower density than water (wood, ball, plastic material) that is tied to a nylon thread or thread, string;
time the floating time of the object from point A to point B, in seconds;
enter the data in the dedicated table of the following form;
record three values for time and calculate the speed of the river flow for each time, then calculate the average speed;
explain the occurrence of measurement errors.

d) Table of experimental data

Group number	d [m]	t [s]	Va [m/s]	Vm [m/s]
Group I
Group II
Group III
Group IV
Group V

Va = =

Vm =

II. Determination the time in which the boat covers the distance from A to B with the engine running

a) Required materials: report of the work, table of experimental data, stopwatch, meter, built and equipped boats, computers and other IT equipment, mobile phones, etc.

b) Principle of the method

From A to B (in the direction of the river's flow)

va – the flow speed of the river, the water relative to the earth

vb – speed of movement of the boat with the engine running against the water

v1 – speed of the boat relative to the ground from A to B

t1 - the time in which the boat covers the distance from A to B with the engine running

From B to A (in the opposite direction of the river)

V2 – speed of the boat relative to the ground from B to A

t2 – the time in which the boat covers the distance from B to A with the engine running

V2 = vb - va t2 =

c) The experimental procedure:

measure the portion of the river for which the flow speed of the river AB is calculated in meters;
place the boat on the water with the engine running and start moving between points A and B
time the boat's travel time from point A to point B in seconds;
enter the data in the data table of the form indicated below;
calculate the time with the help of theoretical calculation formulas, and then compare the results with the experimentally determined ones;
explain the occurrence of measurement errors.

d) Table of experimental data

Group number	d [m]	Va [m/s]	Vb [m/s]	V1 [m/s]	V2 [m/s]	t1 (1) [s]	t2 (1) [s]	t1 (2) [s]	t2 (2) [s]
Group I
Group II
Group III
Group IV
Group V

(1): t1 and t2 obtained from experimental calculation

(2): t1 and t2 measured with the stopwatch

e) Sources of errors:

Measurement errors – unavoidable, due to the imperfection of the senses and devices;
Rounding errors;
Method errors;
Systematic errors:

instruments – faulty devices or faulty measuring instruments;
personal – lack of experimental skills;
theoretical – neglecting external actions, some physical factors, such as inadequate light source, etc.

Accidental errors – the imperfection of the observer's sense organs, his lack of ability, the variations that occurred during the experiment, the position of the observer during the measurements.
Gross errors:

the observer's inattention;
due to the friction between the pulley and the wire;
due to uneven friction between the body and the inclined plane;
wrong notation of the result;
confusions;
incorrect mathematical calculation.

Erasmus+ Cooperation partnerships project

Sailing Into Opportunities

No. 2023-1-LT01-KA220-SCH-000161306

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the National Agency. Neither the European Union nor National Agency can be held responsible for them.

Drone ship manufacturing and use

Physics and the movement of boats – experimental activities (down by the water)

1. Experimental activities carried out by boat on the water