2. Graph of Results
The Effect of the Circumference of the Balloon on the Mass the Boat Can Hold Without
Sinking
408.5
62.5
9.5
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
0 cm 20 cm 35 cm
Circumference of the Balloon (cm)
MasstheBoatHeld(g)
3. Data Table of Results
The Effect of the Circumference of the Balloon on the Mass the Boat Can Hold
Without Sinking
Circumferenc
e of Mass of
Mass the Boat
Held (g)
the Balloon
(cm) the Boat (g)
Trial 1 Tri
al 2
Trial
3
Trial
4
Tria
l 5
Tria
l 6
Tria
l 7
Tria
l 8
Tria
l 9
Tria
l 10
Avera
ge
0 cm
34.9 g 430 402
.5
377.
5
377.5 402.
5
410 420 427.
5
412.
5
425 408.
5
20 cm 34.9 g 80 65 55 75 55 62.5 50 57.5 65 60 62.5
35 cm 34.9 g 12.5 10 7.5 7.5 10 10 10 10 10 7.5 9.5
5. Conclusion Part 1
The problem question investigated in The Boat Must Float was,
“What is the effect of the circumference of the balloon on the mass
the boat can hold without sinking?” The hypothesis was, “If the
balloon is inflated to a circumference of 20 cm then it will hold a
greater mass than the boat with a balloon inflated to a
circumference of 35 cm because it will lower the center of gravity
and make it less vulnerable to tipping.” The hypothesis was
supported. After conducting the investigation, it showed that the
boat with a balloon inflated to a circumference of 0 cm held the
greatest average number of pennies, 163.4. The boat with a 20 cm
circumference balloon held an average of 25 pennies. The boat
with a 35 cm circumference balloon held an average of only 3.8
pennies. Although the boat with a 20 cm circumference balloon did
not hold the highest amount of average pennies, it still held more
than the boat with a 35 cm circumference and supported the
hypothesis.
6. Conclusion Part 2
There were a couple sources of error in the investigation. One
was that after each trial, the boat got more water in it that could not
all be gotten out. This caused the boat to be a bit uneven. Another
source of error was how the pennies were distributed throughout the
cup atop the balloon. If a few too many pennies are placed to one
side, the boat begins to tip. The data was consistent and reliable.
The largest range between the three boats’ trials was 12 pennies,
and there were no outliers. In this investigation, it was noted that
balance played a huge role. The higher the cup was due to the size
of the balloon, the more prone the boat was to tipping as soon as
the mass of the cup became unbalanced. The balloon lowering the
center of gravity was not enough to change this fact. After
completing the investigation, it is realized that the best boat to
connect with the final design is the boat with the 0 cm circumference
balloon. One change to make to the final design is to remove the
balloon and cup as the bowl can carry the pennies and they are
unnecessary weight. A future experiment to conduct that could
improve the final design is to compare a boat with tape covering the
sides and one without to see if it is also an unnecessary weight.
7. Conclusion Part 2
There were a couple sources of error in the investigation. One
was that after each trial, the boat got more water in it that could not
all be gotten out. This caused the boat to be a bit uneven. Another
source of error was how the pennies were distributed throughout the
cup atop the balloon. If a few too many pennies are placed to one
side, the boat begins to tip. The data was consistent and reliable.
The largest range between the three boats’ trials was 12 pennies,
and there were no outliers. In this investigation, it was noted that
balance played a huge role. The higher the cup was due to the size
of the balloon, the more prone the boat was to tipping as soon as
the mass of the cup became unbalanced. The balloon lowering the
center of gravity was not enough to change this fact. After
completing the investigation, it is realized that the best boat to
connect with the final design is the boat with the 0 cm circumference
balloon. One change to make to the final design is to remove the
balloon and cup as the bowl can carry the pennies and they are
unnecessary weight. A future experiment to conduct that could
improve the final design is to compare a boat with tape covering the
sides and one without to see if it is also an unnecessary weight.
