You might remember a scene from the movie Titanic in which Rose is lying on a door while Jack is in the freezing water next to her. The door stays afloat (warning: science stuff ahead) because of buoyancy, the principle that something will float if the downward pressure caused by its weight is less than the upward pressure caused by the density of what it’s on. The Rice Design Alliance is taking this to heart for its second annual Anything That Floats competition.
Some dozen teams are being tasked with creating a workable craft in just three hours from materials provided by the RDA. The participants are allowed to bring their own tools, but nothing else. Like the door in Titanic (which taking into account the average weight of Rose and Jack, theoretically should have had enough buoyancy to hold them both without sinking), the float must carry two people. The craft must also travel 100 feet of Buffalo Bayou with at least half of the float above water to win. 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sesquicentennial Park, 400 Texas. For information, visit www.ricedesignalliance.org. Free to spectators.
Sat., April 28, 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 2012
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2012.