1.

0 The background of project

Do you know that there are vehicles that can travel over both water and land? The
vehicles are known as hovercraft that can glides on a cushion of air. The fans blow air
underneath the hovercraft cause it to lift off of the ground.

Hovercraft are used for recreation, education, racing, rescue, military and a multitude
of commercial uses. The major value of hovercraft is they can reach areas that are
inaccessible on foot or by conventional vehicles.

2.0 Objectives of project

Students will be able to:-
 construct their own CD hovercraft and explain how it works.
 investigate how different amounts of air in the hovercraft's balloon affect how
long the hovercraft can hover.
 relate the experiment with Newton's laws of motion.
 calculate the force applied.

3.1 Design of activities and materials

3.1.1 Materials
 Superglue
 CD
 Balloon
 bottle cap (with pop-out nozzle)

3.1.2 Procedures

1. Apply the superglue carefully glue the bottle cap and place it over the center hole
of CD.
2. Hold the cap until the glue is dry and hardens.
3. Blow up the balloon, then hold it, so that no air comes out of it.
4. Place the balloon on the bottle cap.
5. Let’s test how the CD hovercraft glides on surface.
4.0 Questionnaire
Based on their observation, students will required to answer the questions below:-
 How does the hovercraft work?
 What can you see if you glide the hovercraft on different surfaces (table, tile floor,
carpet, sand, etc.)
 How can you alter your hovercraft to make it go faster? Slower? (Bigger/smaller
balloon). Design an experiment to test your theory.
 Explain how Isaac Newton’s laws of motion control the movement of the
hovercraft.
 What force is applied to cause the hovercraft to float?
 What force is reduced to cause the hovercraft to float?
 What is the definition of force?
 What are the Newton’s laws?
 Which law is applied in the hovercraft?
 What is the formula for force?
 Give that the mass of the CD is 20g and acceleration is 10m/s². Calculate the force
applied.
 What is the formula for gravity?
 Given that the earth gravity is 9.8m/s² and the mass of the hovercraft is 30g.
Calculate the weight of the hovercraft.
 What is the force on the hovercraft?
 Using Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the force applied. Choose the answer
below.

a) Between 7N and 6N
 b) Less than 6N
c) Exactly 7N
d) Greater than 7N

5.0 References
https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/cd-hovercraft-sick-science/
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-CD-Hovercraft/
https://www.sublimescience.com/free-science-experiments/how-to-make-a-cd-hovercraft/