Hovercraft transport people and their stuff across ice, grass, swamp, water, and land. Also known as the Air Cushioned Vehicle (ACV), these machines use air to greatly reduce the sliding friction between the bottom of the vehicle (the skirt) and the ground. This is a great example of how lubrication works – most people think of oil as the only way to reduce sliding friction, but gases work well if done right.
In this case, the readily-available air is shoved downward by the pressure inside of balloon. This air flows down through the nozzle and out the bottom, under the CD, lifting it slightly as it goes and creating a thin layer for the CD to float on.
Although this particular hovercraft only has a ‘hovering’ option, I’m sure you can quickly figure out how to add a ‘thruster’ to make it zoom down the table! (Hint – you will need to add a second balloon!)
Here’s what you need:
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Yes the concepts covered in the lab, specifically the “FBD” (Free Body Diagram) analysis and the trigonometry vectors (math concepts) involved is covered in Unit 21: Ad Physics in section I & II. Students need to have at least Alg 2 to work through this type of lab.
If you have worked through the labs in Unit 21 and still need help with the solution, please send me an email with a screenshot of your work (so I know where you are and how to best help): [email protected]
What questions did you have specifically? Send me a personal request for what you’re interested in learning… [email protected]
Is there a video that walks through the math on the simple hovercraft lab??