BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Introduction
My research question is how does the length and diameter of a wooden cylinder affect the tilt angle of a
cylinder flowing in water?
I got the idea for this science project from Sciencebuddies.com, Buoyancy of Floating Cylinders
(Sciencebuddies.com, 2014). I will be investigating how the tilt angle of cylinders floating in water
depends on the aspect ratio (length/diameter) of the cylinder. I chose this experiment for several reasons.
I wanted a project in mathematical science or computer science. This project grabbed my attention
because I was learning about ratios and proportions in Math 7. At the same time, in Science, we learned
about mass, volume, and density. Of the three project ideas I had in mind, this project required me to use
both math and science. I believe I will continue to learn a lot as I complete my experiment.
Background Research
To investigate the way cylinders float, my independent variables are length and diameter of a cylinder.
My dependent variable is the tilt angle of a cylinder floating in water. The control variables are the
shape and density of the dowels which are wooden. This background research explains the terms that
are important in understanding buoyancy of cylinders.
Cylinder. A cylinder is a 3-dimensional solid with two parallel circular bases (Figure 1). If unwrapped in
the middle section, it is a rectangular. A diameter is a line that divides a circle into two equal parts.

Figure 1. Cylinder.
Ratio. A ratio is a comparison of two quantities using the operation of division. (Larson & Boswell,
2012; ehow.com, 2014). Examples of ratios in our daily lives are; when making a recipe for dinner, at
the grocery store to express the price of an item, and to describe speed in miles per hour (mph).
Aspect Ratio. Aspect ratio describes the relationship between an objects width and length. E.g. 2:3 and
4:5 (Figure 2). In the aspect ratio, the digit for width always comes first.

Figure 2. Aspect ratio of an object.

The formula for aspect ratio of a cylinder is:

This relationship of diameter to length of a cylinder shows that the way a cylinder floats also depend on
its aspect ratio (sciencebuddies.com; 2014). Figure 3 shows that a disk (Cylinder A) floats face-up, but a
longer cylinder (Cylinder B) floats on its side with the circular faces perpendicular to the surface.

Figure 3. Cylinders of different lengths and diameters resulting in different aspect ratio

Volume- Volume is a property of 3-dimentional objects (Chinkuyu, 2014; Fitzgerald, T. (2006)).

Volume of an object is the amount of space an object takes up. It is measured in cubic centimeters (cm)
for solids, and mL for liquids (Pearson Education Inc., 2009).
Mass- Mass is a measure of how much matter is in an object. It is measured in grams (g).
Density- Density is how much matter is in a given volume. The formula for density=D=M/V, where D=
density, M= mass, and V=volume. Density is measured in g/mL (grams per milliliter), or g/cm i.e.,
grams per cubic centimeter (Pearson Education Inc., 2009).
Buoyancy- Buoyancy is the capability to float or rise in a fluid, gas or liquid. Buoyancy is also a force
(National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA), 2014; wikiHow.com, 2014). Neutral buoyancy is
the situation when the forces pushing an object upward (buoyant force) and downward force or gravity
are equal. Neutrally buoyant objects seem to "hover" under water e.g. fish in water and scuba divers.
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Figure 4. Buoyant force and types of buoyancy

Center of gravity. Center of gravity is the average location of the weight of an object (NASA, 2014).
The point at which the object balances, is the objects center of gravity.

Figure 5. Center of gravity of polygons.

Center of buoyancy- The center of buoyancy is the center of the gravity of the volume of water which
a hull displaces (The Engineering Tool Box, 2014) If the hull of an object is stable, then the center of
buoyancy will be below the center of gravity. (Figure 6)

Figure 6. Center of Buoyancy.

Righting Moment. A moment that usually restores a naval or an airplane to its original position after a
small displacement.
Tilt angle/Flotation angle. Tilt angle-is the angle at which a floating object tilts when the center of
gravity and center of buoyancy are not perpendicular.

Figure 7. Floating/tilt angle of a floating object

Conclusion
Researching how objects float has provided background information for my STEM Fair project. For my
experiment, I will use wooden dowels of 0.95cm, 1.11cm, and 2.22cm, therefore their density will be the
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same. For each diameter, I will cut dowels of 5cm, 10cm, 15cm, and 20cm in length and measure their
flotation or tilt angles. The dependent variable will be the tilt angle of dowels at different aspect ratio
i.e. of different width to diameter.