Taking the Plunge: Designing Submersibles
Science Topic: Floating and Sinking
Engineering Field: Ocean Engineering
Country: Greece
Storybook: Despina Makes a Splash
This unit and storybook introduce students to the field of ocean engineering and the concept of density. In the storybook, Despina and her cousin Chrisanthy are faced with a problem. While sailing off the coast of their hometown of Santorini, Greece, Chrisanthy drops her goggles. A chance encounter with a piece of “treasure” floating in the ocean leads the girls to speak with ocean engineers who are designing instruments used on ocean submersibles. Inspired by what they learn, Despina and Chrisanthy design their own submersible to retrieve the lost goggles.
Students will have the chance to map a section of ocean floor using sounding pole technology, and will review images of the ocean floor gathered with sonar technology. Challenged to design their own submersibles, which need to float unassisted, students will test the floating and sinking behaviors of instruments that they could include in their submersible designs. Along with the floating criterion, students will need to consider the volume of their submersibles and the number of instruments they are able to take on board. After creating their submersible designs, groups will attempt to retrieve packages off of a model ocean floor.
GEMS Connections: Only One Ocean, Ocean Currents
FOSS Connections: Water, Matter and Energy
STC Connections: Floating and Sinking, Solids and Liquids
Insights Connection: Liquids
Click here for an overview of the unit.
Click here for a unit summary chart.
