Archimedes’ Principle Put To The Test

Quality construction of the cardboard boats is a must for Shasta students to test the Archimedes Principle in Echo Hollow Pool.
“The buoyant force on a body placed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.” Archimedes’ Principle is a law of physics that Shasta 8th graders test every spring.
This much they’ve learned: if you don’t build your cardboard boat big enough or sturdy enough, you will definitely displace water by sinking before paddling the length of Echo Hollow Pool.
Begun in 2001, the Shasta Cardboard Boat Races are a fun way for students to discover how the Archimedes Principle actually works.
Beyond the challenge of building a boat out of cardboard and tape that can hold two teenagers, is the task of making it at least semi-watertight.
But getting soaked is half the fun. Even Archimedes must have been dunked now and then.











