Video: See who stayed afloat and who dazzled with their design.
“Gravity always wins.”
That principle, spoken by physics and engineering teacher Ted Simons, is a solemn truth. Yet, testing the laws of physics could never be more fun than at the traditional Winter Wave.
Each year students work individually and in groups to construct a boat and paddle out of cardboard and duct tape for the Winter Wave race across the school pool. It’s an opportunity for the students to test their engineering skills while learning principles of physics.
“Through the Winter Wave we explore the force of buoyancy and its equilibrium with the force of gravity,” said Simons.
This year, students entered 10 crafts into the race. Crews were composed of one to three students. In some cases, crews entered the craft only to immediately feel the chill of their craft taking on water.
“I won’t forget the importance of distributing your team’s weight evenly within the boat, especially when first getting in, as to give your boat the best chance of survival by not over-saturating any one part of the boat,” said senior Gabi S. “This definitely buys you more time to finish out the race and hopefully keep your boat intact for the final challenge!”
Some crews found that although their craft was sturdy, their oars failed at propulsion.
Trial and error has always been part of science and technology said Junior Dom T. “There are multiple ways to solve a problem, and even the things with the most effort put in can fail eventually. Simplicity is key,”he added.
Two of the 10 boats, “Ariel’s Grotto” and “The Meg,” proved seaworthy enough to voyage over splashing waters across the mysterious depths of the deep end and return to the starting port in the shallow end of the pool.
Judges considered time afloat, mass and sinkage to determine the winners. “Ariel’s Grotto” took first place, San Dominick second, and third place went to the “U.S.S. San Diego.” The Flagship award went to “The Meg.” “The Great Grabby” took home the Davey Jones Locker award and the Best Theme award.
Regardless of how their boats performed, students loved being part of Winter Wave.
Gabi said, “The Winter Wave was a great experience all around, and I especially enjoyed getting to watch my classmates boats and cheer them on after my partner and I raced ours. Additionally, it was amazing to see the sheer amount of people that came to watch, which for me personally definitely added a whole other level of pressure, but also excitement.”
“Despite coming in last place, I had an incredible time during the Winter Wave.” Dom said. “Watching the boats compete was unforgettable, and it reminded me why I love engineering so much!”
Gabi has good advice for next year’s crews. “Make sure to double layer your cardboard, especially on the bottom, and if you think that you’ve put on enough duct tape…add some more!!” Dom also advises, “Work on a plan to enter the boat, because otherwise it might tip.”