Day 17 - Canoe Trip Physics

The Problem...

How can you use an understanding of physics to make a canoe trip more enjoyable and less work?

Why?

• Opportunity for students to use physics concepts to help plan for a canoe trip
• Opportunity to bring sustainability discussions into a Physics class
• Interdisciplinary math, science, biology, physics, ecology, geography

Check out this blog entry from a few years ago by @emnose.  Canoe tripping is awesome.  The planning, driving, paddling and portaging all pay off when your alone on a lake in the middle of Ontario enjoying the silence and the stars.

In a class...

I would only use this activity in a class if right opportunity presented itself:  if students were actually going on a canoe trip (I know a bunch of high schools that regular do canoe trips). Students working on their Duke of Edinburgh are actually required to do a trip so it would be a good opportunity for them to earn some of the requirements.  

The Physics...

Believe it or not, there is actually a ton of physics that can be found in canoe tripping.  Here are some examples:

1. Buoyancy and hydrodynamics

• What canoe shape, size, depth is appropriate for the trip.  Can study the drag/friction of the canoe in the water.
• Optimal weight and number of people per canoe.  Too heavy and the canoe will sit too low in the water and be inefficient to paddle!
• Number of canoes needed for the trip.
• Optimal paddle length and shape.  There is some statics involved in the best paddle length.  The shape has to do with hydrodynamics.
• This site has a whole bunch of canoe recommendations and images including the one below.  A good question may be which one would be most appropriate canoe profile for the trip.

2. Distance-time relationships

• Best route to a destination (connections to contours in geography and optimization in math).  Students would have to develop some criteria for what 'best' route entails.  Easiest? Quickest? Shortest travel time?  In the picture below, what would be the best route from the Three Legged Lake Access Point to Clear Lake? 

Map is of Massassauga Provincial Park.

Clear Lake is a route we've done a few times.

3. Statics

• What is the best way to pack a hiking pack in terms of physics.  Would it be better to pack the heavier stuff closer or further away from your body?  This can be interpreted as a simple statics problem (see below).  How does your body adapt if the centre of gravity of your pack is further away from your back.

Drawn in Penultimate

• Carrying a canoe - In terms of statics, is it better to carry a canoe with two people or one?  What are some advantages and disadvantages of each.  I've never had a problem with 1 person...

Canoes are designed to be carried by one

 person but at first it doesn't seem to make 

sense from a physics standpoint.

These are just a few examples of how to look at canoe tripping through a physics lens.  I'm sure there are plenty more though.

Transformative Environmental Education

As a Scout leader, I have the opportunity to fairly regularly organize and participate in trips with groups of Scouts.  It's something I think every high school student in Toronto should have a chance to experience.  We talk about Environmental Sustainability but sometimes we forget what we're actually trying to sustain.  Living in the city all year, I sometimes forget about my connection and dependance on nature.  

In an article I read at OISE for my cohort class (Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development), Julie Johnston stresses the importance of stepping outside the curriculum box by practicing Transformative Environmental Education.  She presents education as the primary source of social reproduction and thus where we must start the cycle of understanding, caring for and protecting our environment.  Two examples of Transformative Environmental Education she provides (that I could utilized in this Canoe Tripping activity) are:

• Sky Awareness - promoting the importance of just looking up! Talking about how the sun tracks across the sky and how you could navigate by the stars.  This is easily tied to physics (astronomy).
• Bioregion-Based Education - understanding your connection to your immediate environment.  Understanding the ecosystem in which you live.  This ties nicely into biology and ecology concepts.

21st Century...

Students will be using Real-World Problem Solving and Innovation to help them plan their trip.  Concepts from Physics and other courses can help make an actual trip more enjoyable and less laborious.  

The activity also has the potential to be fairly long term and Self-Regulated by students, culminating in the actual trip.  Journals kept by students during the trip could be used to self-assess the effectiveness of their plans.

Lastly, there would be few more interdependent activities than a canoe trip, which basically forces everyone to do their part in order for the group to get to a destination.  It's an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Collaboration.

1. Collaboration: entry - adoption - adaptation - infusion - transformation
3. Real-World Problem Solving & Innovation: entry - adoption - adaptation - infusion - transformation
5. Self-Regulation: entry - adoption - adaptation - infusion - transformation