Summary
The SciGirls design underwater robots and discover that buoyancy, thrust and drag all pull on their build at once -- a redesign-and-retest loop that looks a lot like real engineering.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Full episode (28 min) from SciGirls, season 2.
- Which forces act on a robot under water?
- Why did the first design sink (or float) instead of steering?
- What did the team change between tests?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: buoyancy, thrust, drag, prototype.
Try it: Sketch your own aquabot and label the forces pushing up, down and forward. Name the one part you would test first.