Then turn south and take three steps. Ask students to determine what happens to their compass if it comes in contact with a magnet. The history of sailing is a fascinating way to trace the growth of civilization, and sailing history can be defined by the evolution of boat design. Ask students to pay particular attention to materials used, sail configuration, hull design, and ships' purpose. Sailing Ships Archive Evolution of Ship Building Have groups share their results with whole class.
Students can make creative presentations, such as writing classified ads for their vessel.
Challenge students to correlate historical developments with the advent of better nautical technologies. The physics of sailing has remained the same throughout all the changes in sailboat design. Have students research Bernoulli's principle and how the physics of sailing compares to the physics of flight. All rights reserved.