Allyssa Hutchings Hyrum Bigham Isaac Bigham PHYSICS 1010 Group Project December 3, 2013

Most people would say that riding a bicycle on the surface of water is impossible. With basic physics and the right materials, we were able to come up with an idea that could allow this impossible notion to be a possibility. This paper will discuss the principles of physics needed to create this bicycle such as buoyancy, gravity, centripetal motion, and the density of the materials needed. Buoyancy: The Archimedes principle is that weight buoyed is equal to the weight of the volume of water displaced. Buoyancy of a water bike must include the passenger, if the bike can float by itself but not with a passenger it is pointless. Fb=PA buoyant force is pressure of area. The bike will have to have water contact surfaces that are large enough to support at least one human passenger. The bike will probably have to weigh about 15-20 lbs. The human will weigh about 170 pounds (average). So the buoyant force must be at least 190N. More for more passengers the force will have to be increased appropriately by increasing the total surface area of the contact points. Considering that the wheels will be filled with Aero-foam, the water contact area will increase due to sinking in the water increasing the buoyancy, but the passengers may achieve wetness from water infiltration into the vehicle. Density is also a major aspect while designing this bike. Charles Ophardt stated simply that Density is a physical property of matter, as each element and compound has a unique density associated with it. Density defined in a qualitative manner as the measure of the relative heaviness of objects with a constant volume. The materials we create the bike out of must be less dense than water in order to float, but must be strong enough to hold the weight of a person.

Your body is an ocean of electrons - these electrons are a part of the atoms that make up your cells. Every Atom has a positive and a negative electrical charge, these two attracting forces actually hold the Atoms shape. The inner part of an atom contains neutrally charged particles called Neutrons. Neutrons provide a cushion to the protons; to stop them from repelling and dispersing into the atmosphere. The outer part of an atom contains the electron shell(s) which rotate in constant motion around the nucleus and repel other atoms. This is important in the concept that all electrons repel other negative charges so many things that you would think are touching, are in actuality separated. Since this is naturally occurring, it does not affect calculations of friction used when moving our bike through the water. Whether the charge on an Atom is change positively or Negatively the electrical energy is not lost.

Aristotle divided motion into two main classes: natural motion and Violent motion Aristotle asserted that natural motion proceeds from the nature of an object, dependant on the combination of the four elements (earth, water, air, and fire) the object contains

Our bike is directly in collaboration with the element of water. Therefore, our bike has a fluid like motion to it. It also has the feel of Violent Motion in the sense that it is a man-powered device that uses a persons push to create movement. The combination of movement makes the bike more versatile while still keeping true our vision of a Force that is greater than the inertia must be applied to an object in order to result in motion, we understand this from Newtons second law of motion. An impulse force must

initially be applied in order to change the motion of our bike - so we thought up a gear structure that would allow for a low impulse force for its initial movement. Once the bike gets into motion the conservation of angular momentum will easily keep it moving. The law of conservation of angular momentum states the following: If no external net torque acts on a rotating system, the angular momentum of that system remains constant. The tires on our bike are oversized in order to battle the waters absorption of the exerted energy this will help maintain a smooth ride. The bike that we are designing is, like every other object, under the influence of the force of gravity. Gravity is what keeps the bike on the surface of the water. Without gravity, it would simply float off into space. The water is also under the influence of gravity, which is how it is held to the earth. The law of universal gravitation states: Every object or body in the universe attracts every other object with a force that, for two bodies, is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance separating them. Therefore, the product of masses between a body of water and the earth is inversely proportional to the square of their distance. Our bike that weve designed, feels two opposing forces: The force of gravity pulling down and the buoyant force pushing up. The bike is able to float when the buoyant force is equal and opposite to the bikes weight. The definition of weight is the force that an object exerts on a supporting surface which is usually due to the force of gravity. Bike Design: The first step in creating our bike was coming up with a general basis for design. One of the first things we decided on was the tires. We knew that we wanted very large tires to create

more surface area to allow for a higher buoyancy. We also knew that a very deep kind of tread on the bikes tires would aid the bikes movement. A deep tread with a protruding inward slant would paddle the bike in a way, that would pick up the water and push it in the opposite direction of the bike and push the bike forward. These are the things that got us started in the physical aspect of our bike, and we were able to further develop these ideas to make a more productive and efficient design. The design of the bike that we chose accounts for weight, net pressure, functionality, and comfort. The main frame of the bike is made up of cedar wood sealed with a lightweight epoxy. This will keep the bike both light and strong as it heads up waves on the surface. The gears and chain on the bike will be made of a strong composite plastic unlike the stainless steel land model bikes this will prevent rust damage. Our oversized wheels are filled with Marine Aero-foam that secures their solidity and maintains their low density in order to keep the bike on the surface of the water. The specially designed back tire pulls the water to the middle in order to maintain constant power. The Gear and chain are larger than that of its land counterpart. Comfort is covered by the seat, with heavy padding, much like the thick foam of a couch cushion, and a backrest of the same material. Both the seat and backrest will be supported by cedar wood. The armrests will be made of cedar and padded as well, positioned in order to relax while also holding the handle bars. The seat will also be cut to support optimum peddling while leaning back. The front wheel holsters the rudder for steering the bike. The steering is all handled through the front of the bike. We came up with a design that would allow the rudder to loosely

hang in the the middle of the front wheel in a coupled bearing shape. Leverage and mechanical advantage: The pedal system gives leverage to turn the composite-plastic sprocket that is connected to a chain and another sprocket, both made from composite plastic. The second sprocket, which is connected to the back axle, is smaller than the front sprocket. This gives the pedalling more force on the back sprocket due to less friction points, and the smaller sized sprocket, being about half the size of the front, will make about two rotations for every one rotation of the front. This makes it possible for a person to pedal and make the back axle spin the wheel to paddle the water bike forward. The sprockets are twice as big than that of a land bicycle, giving twice the power, which is needed to move across the water. Teacher Prompted Questions: What did I achieve? As a team we have worked together to create a model of a water bike. We took into account all of the physical properties that would affect movement on water, and we believe that we have achieved a fairly successful design.

Where did I start? We began with a basic bicycle model and made specific modifications to make it compatible with riding on the surface of water. This is where we took into account the wheel size and steering mechanisms to make the bike pliable to water. When first envisioning the bike we had a low rider in mind; something that was lax and easy to ride. This mainly shaped our thinking of the bike as our ideas came; helping us keep a mental image of what we wanted the bike to look

and feel like.

How did it work? After setting our base it was much easier for us to just start throwing out ideas as a team. We had a couple brainstorming sessions to really get a handle on our bike. We went over numerous designs for the bike as we mulled over all of the possibilities.

What medium keeps it up? Since the project is a water bicycle we decided that we would have it float in water using tires inflated with Aero-foam. Aero-foam is a liquid mixture that expands and hardens as it dries, making it lightweight, and not very dense. It is much less dense than water in fact, that we can put it inside anyting hollow and it would float our bicycle. In this case, large rubber tires.

What advantages do your ideas have over others? We believe that our idea is the most functional as well as realistic. We designed our bike to be relatively easy to build and easy for a person to ride. By using the basics of a regular bike, it will make it easy for anyone to operate the bike no matter the age, as the saying goes like riding a bike. Anyone will be able to hop on our prototype and coast themselves through the water.

Works Cited
Ophardt, Charles E. "Density." Density. Elmhurst College, 2003. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. Hewit, Paul G. Conceptual Physics (eleventh edition,) 2010.