Hovercraft Lab

Today, our Physics class experimented with riding hovercrafts. The unique thing about the hovercrafts that sets them apart from other vehicles is that they do not touch the ground, rather float slightly above it.

It really put Newton’s First Law into perspective for me. There is something odd about feeling like you are going to slow down, with the knowledge that you never will. Once the hovercraft was set in motion, it kept going until it was stopped by a classmate. If there was no one, or nothing to stop it, it would have kept moving.

Aside from providing a hands on example of the science behind inertia, I also learned a great deal about net force and equilibrium. Net force is all of the combined forces being exerted on an object at any given time. Equilibrium was achieved when the net force was equal to zero. This is so while the craft is still, or in constant velocity. Constant velocity is when the hovercraft is gliding at consistent pace.

Before today, I thought that acceleration meant that an object was moving forward with speed. However, it is a property dependent on motion. Furthermore, the hovercraft was accelerating while in starting, and stopping positions.

Outside factors also affected how the craft functioned. For example, heavier class members were harder to stop, because they had more mass, hence, more inertia. That being said, the lighter riders had an easier time being stopped.

I can now check "riding a hovercraft" off my bucket list.