Maximizing Buoyancy: A Study of Aluminum Foil Boats

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    Aluminum Buoyancy
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a lab practicum task involving the construction of a boat from aluminum foil and determining the maximum mass it can hold without sinking or capsizing. The focus is on calculations and theoretical approaches prior to conducting the actual experiment.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks assistance in calculating the maximum mass an aluminum foil boat can hold before sinking, emphasizing the need for theoretical calculations before experimentation.
  • Another participant suggests using Archimedes's principle to determine the volume of water displaced by the boat, which relates to the mass it can support.
  • A method is proposed to fill the boat with measured amounts of water to empirically find the sinking point, although the original poster indicates they must rely solely on calculations.
  • Concerns are raised about obtaining a negative mass value during calculations, indicating potential misunderstandings in applying the principles discussed.
  • One participant notes the importance of knowing the boat's volume and weight to accurately apply Archimedes's principle for calculating displacement.
  • A later post indicates that the original poster resolved their issue after gathering the necessary information, suggesting that the discussion was helpful.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the relevance of Archimedes's principle and the need for accurate volume and weight measurements, but there is no consensus on the specific calculations or methods to achieve the desired results. Some participants suggest empirical methods while others focus on theoretical calculations.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the original poster's lack of access to the boat's volume and potential misunderstandings in applying Archimedes's principle, which may affect the calculations. The discussion does not resolve these issues.

Tyler Kidd
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[SOLVED] Aluminum Boats and Buoyancy.

All right, here we go.
I'm stuck doing a "Lab Practicum" which has this specific task:
Build a boat out of aluminum foil alone. Find the maximum about of mass it can hold without tearing, capsizing, or just plain submersing into a bucket of water.
The piece of foil is 30cm by 30cm.

That last bit of information is probably unnecessary because I already designed the boat. It's the way that I find that mystery mass that's got me hung up.

Thanks so much for the help.
 
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What's the volume of the boat? That should tell you how much water it can displace when it's just about to sink. Archimedes's principle will help you figure out the mass that will almost sink it. (Assuming you can load it up without destroying it.)
 
Put the boat into water, and slowly fill the boat with measured amounts water to see how much water it takes to sink the boat. This method should allow you to test the boat without damaging the boat. Then calculate the mass of the amount of water it took to sink the boat and subtract a small amount. Then repeat the experiment with this smaller amount of water to confirm it remains floating. What is meant by "almost"? Will it get to the point that you use a calibrated eye dropper to firgure out to the nearest drop or so of water it takes to sink the boat?
 
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I have to do this all on calculations alone before I actually conduct the experiment. I only get one shot; apparently this is the "fun" of this kind of lab.
 
Tyler Kidd said:
I have to do this all on calculations alone before I actually conduct the experiment.
That's what I assumed. If you could just measure it, Jeff's method is the way to go!

Can you figure out the volume of the boat?
 
Unfortunately, I never wrote down the volume of the boat and it's at a different location. The boat's pretty much a rectangular box, so the volume isn't hard to find.
 
When I try to solve for the mass, I end up with a negative number. Perhaps I'm not using this principle correctly...
 
You still need to know the weight and volume of your boat. Given this information, you should be able to caculate based on Archimedes's principle how much water will be diplaced by an empty boat. You can probably assume that air has zero mass in this case as the actual mass of the air versus the mass the boat can carry is extremely small.

Once you know how much water is displaced by the empty boat via calculations, then subtract that amount of water from the amount of water equivalent to the volume of the boat. This will be the limit at which the boat sinks. Take away a small amount from this to get a close enough value for how much the boat can take without sinking.
 
Tyler Kidd said:
When I try to solve for the mass, I end up with a negative number. Perhaps I'm not using this principle correctly...
Show us exactly what you did to solve for the mass.
 
  • #10
Problem solved as of this morning. Thanks for the assistance; it actually did help after I got all the information in front of me.
 

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