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Year 5

Water resistance

This week in science we have been learning about water resistance. We carried out an investigation to discover which 3D shape would be affected the most by water resistance. We looked at cubes, spheres and cones. We made shapes out of blutac and timed how long they took to sink to the bottom of a tall measuring cylinder. The shape affected the least by water resistance was the one that sank the fastest.  After carrying out the investigation we discovered that shape was the cone. This is because it has the most streamlined shape that minimises water resistance. Next, we were challenged to make our blutac float. After a lot of trial and error eventually we made a shape that floated. We were loosely inspired by the shape of rowing boats. Next week we will be investigating making a shape that sinks the quickest and one that sinks the slowest.