How To Make A Simple Hovercraft
Owning your very own Hovercraft does not have to be a dream for the future. With a few simple items, you and your child can make one right now!
Hovercraft
What you will need:
- A Styrofoam plate or bowl
- Pen
- Balloon
- Tape
- Decorations for your Hovercraft
Our mean, green, hovering machine How to make your very own vehicle of the future:
- Poke a hole in the center of the Styrofoam plate or bowl with the pen. Make sure the hole is a little bigger than the tip of the pen.
- Decorate the Styrofoam plate or bowl to look like the Hovercraft of your dreams!
- Blow up a balloon and clench its opening shut without knotting the end, so the air does not escape. Keep using a hand to close off the balloon.
- While you continue to clench shut the balloon, have the other person or your other hand tape the very mouth of the balloon flush around the hole in your plate or bowl. Place about four pieces of tape in the shape of a square over the balloon’s opening and the Styrofoam to secure it. Keep holding the bottom of the balloon to keep the air in.
- To support the weight of the balloon, take four long pieces of tape and attach them from the sides of the balloon to the Styrofoam, while continuing to clench off the balloon’s air. It should look like a hot air balloon tied down to the ground before take-off.
- Place your Hovercraft on a smooth, flat area, where it will have lots of room to hover around. When you are ready, stop clenching the opening of the balloon and watch your Hovercraft take off!
Want to know how your amazing Hovercraft works?
When the air flows out of the balloon, it goes under the Styrofoam and creates a layer of air space that keeps the Hovercraft and the smooth, flat surface from rubbing against each other. Without the rubbing, there is no friction, which causes an object to slow down when moving or to hold in place. Therefore, the air layer from the balloon creates a buffer, allowing your Hovercraft to glide across the surface, free from the friction that would have held it in place!
That ship is ready to take off! |
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