Today we Rode Hovercrafts!

Today we rode hovercrafts! Riding on a hovercraft is interesting because once it starts going, it stays at that speed; it never slows down or speeds up unless stopped. It is different than riding on a sled or a skateboard because, unlike a sled or skateboard, it is not slowed down by friction. Riding the hovercraft helped to further understand inertia, net force, and equilibrium.
Inertia can be clearly seen in the hovercraft because when the craft was at rest it stayed in rest and when it was in motion it stayed in motion. What a lazy lout!
We could see net force when the hovercraft was stopped. The force of my classmates stopping the craft was greater than the speed of the hovercraft.
We also learned about equilibrium which happened once the hovercraft had accelerated and started moving because it was not slowing down or speeding up.
Based on this lab, acceleration depends on how hard the hovercraft is pushed and how heavy the person riding it is. The weight of the person riding the craft also makes them harder to stop because mass plays a large roll in inertia. You can find further explanation of this concept in the video I posted recently.
The hovercraft had constant velocity after it had been pushed and before it was stopped. Once it had accelerated, it stayed at the same speed because of Newton's First Law, and the lack of friction.

Here's me on the hovercraft!