In this experiment, my group and I created a small aluminum boat with the materials given : tape, 2 toothpicks, 2 marshmallows and the piece of aluminum. Our boat was a small square with sides folded up. We used the tape to seal the corners and also to attach our marshmallows on the toothpicks onto the boat. We used the marshmallows to help it float.

Our hypothesis: If we create a large enough flat surface for the pennies then our boat will float because we can place the pennies evenly throughout the surface, distributing the weight.

Conclusion: Our boat held only 21 pennies when floating in the water. Water began to leak in pretty quickly causing it to sink. I think our hypothesis was supported. Although our boat sank without many pennies our structure was not an issue. We could fit lots of pennies into out boat and if the corners hadn’t let water in then it would’ve supported many more. So, our error was not sealing the corners well enough with the tape and next time if we did this again I would be sure to secure the edges of our boat.