This term for science week, Room 15 made some handmade hovercrafts. First we had to research about how hovercrafts work and what they are used for. We found out some facts, like they are amphibious - they can go on both land and water. A hovercraft has a skirt that inflates into an air cushion. The skirt has a hole or holes in it to push the air out and create the hover. This lifts the hovercraft off the ground and allows it to hover. Hovercrafts have propellors (fans), they cause thrust to make it move and they put air into the skirt. They also have engines that power the propellors.
We decided to make our own hovercrafts to test out our knowledge. First we got all the supplies, (old CD, drink bottle lid (pump bottle), a balloon and some really strong glue). Next we glued the lid onto the CD so it covered the hole, we had to wait for the glue to dry. Once the glue was dry we blew up our balloons and carefully placed them over the bottle lid. We made sure the lid was open and then we let go of our balloon. The air coming out the bottom caused the hovercraft to hover and move.
Tips: have the hovercraft on a flat and smooth surface.
Check out some of our footage of us using our hovercrafts.
