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Summary: Learn about the supplies you will need to build your cool and easy balloon hovercraft experiment in this free science fair video.
Scott Thompson has been teaching kids of all ages for about twenty years. He currently works for the Wisconsin Public School system teaching science and other subjects to elementary kids.read more
A hovercraft is a water craft that uses air power to propel forward and skim across the water. Large fans blow air down beneath the craft which causes it to hover over the water it's covering. Separate large fans behind the craft push it forward and direct it. The first recorded design of a hovercraft was in 1716 by a Swedish designer named Emanuel Swedenborg. The first commercial hovercraft carrying passengers was operational in 1962 in Whales and by 1968 the first car-carrying hovercraft was developed to transport vehicles across the English Channel. It could hold up to 30 vehicles and 254 people.
This free video series will show you detailed instructions on how to create your own homemade hovercraft as a fun and cool science experiment using everyday items in your home. It will show you exactly what supplies you will need to build it and how to assemble and demonstrate it. If you're looking for an interesting and fun experiment for a science fair or any other school project this is a great series for you!
" Hi this is Scott Thompson from expertvillage.com. Today I'm going to demonstrate a way to put those used CDs to use by building a small balloon hovercraft. Supplies that you are going to need to build this are: as many CDs as hovercrafts you want create; you are going to need a small poking kind of device, like a pen, thumb tack, or a sharp pencil; a piece of cardboard that you cut from a larger stock piece—you might need one of these for each hovercraft that you build. To attach the balloon to the CD, you actually put the balloon over a piece of small plastic pipe. This can be cut by students, if they are old enough, using a small pipe cutter. Simple little thing that works pretty well. But if the kids are really small, then you might want to do this ahead of time. Once you cut the pipe off, using a piece of sandpaper really helps to take the burrs off that edge so it does not puncture the balloon when you put it over the top. Get that as smooth as you can. And you will need a balloon. The balloon actually powers the hovercraft. The balloon has the energy in it to get your hovercraft scooting along the floor. Assembly of the pieces works really well with hot glue; be real careful with this. Safety goggles are probably a good idea. Use the lowest temperature glue stick that you can find; it is just a lot safer, and it still works pretty well."
eHow Article: Supplies for the Balloon Hovercraft Experiment
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