Sailing To Victory- Physics Boat Race

 

The shrill sound of a whistle blows followed by vigorous splashes and cheers, as cardboard  boats with two paddling passengers hurry to get to the finishline. Some boats sink, while others tip over, some are just about there when the water lapping at its sides make it weak and the weight of the passengers tear the boat in two.  Although disappointment looms over the failed boat and depresses the makers, for those who reach the other side victory is sweet and fulfilling as fist pound in the air, and teammates pat each other on the back.

May 4, all AP physics students, arrived at Blossom athletic center with a boat made out of only cardboard and non-metallic duct tape, while two of the four members got in and tried to make it to the other side.
“It was a team effort,” Katherine Bachley(11) said, “we all participated and it went well.”

To qualify as a finisher teams members must make it to the opposite side with both members, which was difficult beacause when the team members stepped in a majority of the boats would tip over, sink, or break.

“When I first entered the boat it was already sinking,” Bachley said, ” I thought once my partner comes in we’re going to topple over.”

While for the most part victory was only a few feet away, most boats couldn’t hold up.

“They were really good, but I guess we just won,” Bachley said.

To officially compete and get a chance to finish, 12 rules were made for this event. Most of the rules were about how the event would go down , but there were a few rules that helped the teams build their boats. For example rule 2 says the maximum dimensions of your boat are: length 2.0 meters, width 1.0 meter, depth 1.0 meter, and rule 1 says that teams may use only standard corrugated, non-waxed cardboard and non-metallic duct tape to construct the boat.

“We weren’t sure about the non-metallic duct tape,” Bachley said.

Despite this there were some creative designs, and inspirations for the boats.

” We designed ours like a tank,” Cody Knoblock(11) said.

After all the work and weeks of preparation the team were glad to race and have a good time.

“We had a lot of fun,” Knoblock said.

The races weren’t all fun and games though, after all the races awards were given to those who did extraordinarily, and quite a few of MacArthur students won.

After all the work and weeks of preparation the team were glad to race and have a good time.

“We had a lot of fun,” Knoblock said.

The races weren’t all fun and games though, after all the races awards were given to those who did extraordinarily, and quite a few of MacArthur students won.

BoatID    Team Name            Crew        Time/Result           Captain

60         Friggin’ in the Riggin’       Men        DQ Length            Konner Fraiser

61                 Gary                           Men        DQ(1.2 m H) 86.2    Adolfo Diaz

62       Watch Watch Mira Mira     Coed       60                             Kyle Arguleta

70            The Huns                        Coed       95                        Cheyanne Theis

71          Narwhal Legion               Men         57.7                       Matthew Adams

97          Pretty in Pink                    Men         169.8                     Zach Roberts

100         Wonderwals                 Women     DQ(2.2m)            Shannon Lukehart


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About Kayla Gunn

Hello, I'm Kayla Gunn. I am a senior at MacArthur and this is my fourth year writing for Brahma Tales. I am an editor on staff, here to bring you all the features and blogs you could ever want. Opinion and feature pieces on social, world, and school issues will also probably frequent the list of stories I post. If you have any insights, questions, or differing opinions feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of my story. Happy reading!

5 thoughts on “Sailing To Victory- Physics Boat Race

  1. Wow! I dont really know what Physics and boats have in common but it is maybe that im not in Physics yet. Very well done!

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