1. Experimental Design

2. Problem Question
What is the effect of the type of cup on
the bottom of the boat on the amount of
mass the boat holds?

3. Variable Identification
Independent Variable: Type of cup on the bottom of the boat
Dependent Variable: Amount of mass held
Experimental Groups: Plastic Cup
Styrofoam cup
Styrofoam and Plastic cup
Control: Plastic cup only
Constants: Temperature of water
Wind
Type of coin used for weight
Amount of coins placed in the boat at a time
Water Level

4. Hypothesis
If both the Styrofoam and plastic cups are
cut in half and put on the bottom of the
plastic bowl, then the amount of mass that
the boat holds will increase, because the
boat's height will increase, therefore the more
of the boat will have to sink before the whole
boat sinks.

5. Materials
• One container at least 8inches in diameter
and at least 1 foot high
• 2 towels
• 1 hair dryer
• at least 200 coins

6. Procedures
1) Fill container with water 3/4 full
2) Place the boat on the water (see figure 1)
3) Add pennies 1 by 1 until the boat sinks
4) Retrieve boat from bottom of container and dump the water out
**While still keeping the pennies in the boat**
5) Pour out the pennies on one of the towels
6) Thoroughly dry the pennies with the hairdryer
7) Dry the boat with the other towel
8) Count and weigh the pennies
9) Record the data on the chart
10) Repeat steps 2-9 4 more times
11) Repeat steps 2-10 with the boat with the Styrofoam bottom (see
figure 2) then with the boat with both the Styrofoam and plastic
bottom (see figure 3
***Figures on next slide

7. Figure 1
(prototype)
Figure 2
Figure 3

8. Experimental Data Table
Mass of Boat
(grams)
Type of Boat
Amount Of Mass Held (grams)
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Average
20
Plastic Cup 415 420 420 410 410 415
12
Styrofoam Cup 180 435 506 495 490 421.2
25
Plastic and
Styrofoam
Cups
465 480 450 480 497 474.

9. Plastic cup boat
Styrofoam cup boat
Plastic and Styrofoam
cup boat

10. Conclusion
The problem question investigated was, "What is the effect of the type of cup
on the bottom of the boat on the amount of mass the boat holds?" It was
hypothesized that, if both the Styrofoam and plastic cups are cut in half and put on
the bottom of the plastic bowl, then the amount of mass that the boat holds will
increase, because the boat's height will increase, therefore the more of the boat
will have to sink before the whole boat sinks. According to the investigation, the
data supported the hypothesis. For example, the boat with the plastic cup held 415
grams and the boat with the Styrofoam cup held 421.2 grams. The boat with both
the plastic and Styrofoam cups held 474.4 grams which is greater than the amount
of mass the other two boats held.
Some possible errors in the experiment were that not close enough attention
was paid to the constants. For example, the water temperature for all the trials was
not constant. Also, the amount of coins placed in the boat at the same time
differed. In the trials with just the Styrofoam cup, the data was very inconsistent.
Because of these errors, the data would not be very reliable. From this experiment,
it was learned that the boat with both the Styrofoam and plastic cups because it
was bigger, therefore having more buoyancy. This information helped to plan the
final design. The final design needs to have a bigger size so that it can hold more
mass. In order to further improve the design, the effect of adding tinfoil to the
bottom of the boat can be tested. The effect of adding a balloon to the side of the
boat could also be tested. , In conclusion, the hypothesis was supported by the
data showing that the boat with both the plastic and the Styrofoam cup held more
mass then the other boats. Also, the data was not very reliable because of outliers
and disregarding the constants