HOVERBOARD PROJECT

In Physics, we designed a hovercraft to represent Newton’s three Laws of Motion. We began with a large plank of wood, which we cut down to size and sanded into the required circular shape. Next, we cut a 5-foot-diameter circle from a plastic sheet. We then drilled a ¼-inch hole in the center of the wooden plank and wrapped duct tape around its perimeter.

To create evenly spaced 3-inch holes in the plastic, we made a stencil to ensure accuracy. Using this stencil, we marked and cut the smaller circles into the plastic sheet. We also traced and cut out a central vacuum hole using a 1-inch drill bit.

Finally, we assembled the hovercraft by attaching the plastic sheet to the wooden plank with screws. During assembly, we turned the structure upside down so that the plastic sheet was secured to the bottom.

Overall, the project combined the math and science aspects of Physics with the construction aspect of Engineering, which turned it into one of my favorite projects of freshman year!