The Canoe Race Investigation Essay, Research Paper
Introduction:??????????? The canoe
race investigation aims to explore the relationship between the dimensions of a
canoeing course (comprising one fixed buoy and two other floats) in the sea,
with a current of 2ms-1?parallel to the shore; which has
a total distance of 300m.? I have chosen
to investigate the relationship combining dimensions and time ? ultimately
trying to find the quickest course.Simplified Assumptions:??????????? To make the
investigation easy to comprehend I have made the following assumptions that
will not be changed over the course of the investigation:Ü The
shoreline is straight. Ü The
current flows in a fixed direction (i.e. it will not change) Ü Canoeists
take no time to turn Ü The
canoeists do not tire (i.e. their speed is constant) Ü The
canoeists start the race at their constant speed (i.e.: 4ms-1) Ü Apart
from the current the water is still (i.e. there are no waves)The Model:??????????? There are
many different types of circuit that the canoeists can use. Equilaterals,
isosceles, right angled triangles and many others, including a straight course
where the canoeists have to travel up one side and back down the other.? All of these shapes can be altered to
incorporate the direction of the current and the length of the side that is
parallel to the shoreline.? I will also
investigate whether clockwise and anticlockwise have any major differences in
time.? ??????????? In all
cases the length of sides A + B + C = 300m.?
\The
formula that I will use for calculating the total time taken is => (length A
/ res. velo) + (length B/ res. velo) + (length C / res. velo).??????????? Res. Velo =
resultant velocity, which is attained from the diagrams that I will draw.Equilateral Triangles:??????????? This first
equilateral triangle has a side length of 100m parallel to the shore. The time
taken for the clockwise circuit is 112.5 seconds. ??????????? However,
the time taken for the anticlockwise circuit is 104.86 seconds.? It is clear from this that there is no
considerable difference in time between the directions of travel.? I will therefore concentrate on the
clockwise circuits of isosceles triangles.Isosceles triangles:??????????? ? The isosceles triangle will be a more
beneficial shape for the canoeists to use because they can decrease the length
of the side where they travel parallel to the shore (i.e. against the current).Isosceles (base = 90) => 108.75 seconds Isosceles (base = 80) => 105 secondsGraphical interpretation??????????? A graph can
be drawn, showing the relationship between the shore side length and the time
taken to complete the circuit.? From the
above results we can expect the relationship to be directly proportional.??????????? To save
time I have calculated the times taken for each base length without drawing the
diagram.? The time taken for the longer
sides will always be 4ms-1 and the speed against the current will
always be 1.6ms-1.? The base
length of 150m represents the circuit that is all three buoys in a straight
line parallel to the shore (speed for this is 5.6ms-1 with the
current and 1.6ms-1 against it). Base Length (m) Time (seconds) 150 120.53 100 112.5 90 108.75 80 105 70 101.25 60 97.5 Conclusion:??????????? As the base
length increases the time taken to complete the circuit also increases.? This is due to the fact that when the
canoeists are travelling in a clockwise direction, the slowest leg of the
circuit when paddling against the current.?
Therefore it makes sense that the quickest time is when the shortest
time is spent against the current.Improvements:??????????? Should I
repeat this model I would improve the following points to make the model more
accurate:? Canoeists tire.? This would make certain parts of the circuit a lot slower and
would require real data from experiments carried out. ? The race was meant to take place in the sea ?
waves, tide and wind would affect the speed of the canoeists. ? Time is taken to turn the corners ? again
experimental data would be required ? Sine/Cosine rule could be used to make the
calculations more detailed and improve accuracy. ? Canoeists take time to reach their maximum
speed ? i.e. there is no ?rolling start? ? Age and sex of the canoeists in the race may
play an important factor in speed. ? Height and Weight may also affect the speed
of each competitor. ?