Boats Float Nina and the Neurons

# If you've got a question and you don't know where to go

# Ask Nina for some help Cos she's got a science show

# She makes sense of her senses While helping all her fans

# By doing her experiments with potions and with bangs

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue!

-# Fingers

-Fingers!

-# Eyes.

-Eyes!

-Ears.

-Ears!

-Nose.

-Nose!

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Luke, he helps us with our eyes and Felix with our touch

# Ollie sniffs out smells and scents And Belle, she hears so much

# Bud is Ollie's brother He helps us with our taste

# They're Nina's little neurons And they're coming to your place!

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue!

-# Fingers

-Fingers!

-# Eyes.

-Eyes!

-Ears.

-Ears!

-Nose.

-Nose!

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Oh, yeah! #

Oh, hello.

I'm looking for a pair of tongs I've dropped in the water.

They've sunk right to the bottom.

Oh, there they are. I'll have to get you a pair of armbands next time!

BEEPING

I hear a beep, I see a flash. I wonder what they're going to ask.

BOTH: Hi, Nina.

Hi, guys.

We've got a question for you.

How do boats float?

Oh, that's a great question. How do boats float?

Come down to my lab, and we'll do some experiments to investigate.

-BOTH: See you soon, Nina. Bye!

-Bye!

I'll need help to answer this and I know just who to ask.

OK, Neurons, time to get to work.

ALL: Neurons at the ready, Nina.

OK. Today's question is, "How do boats float?"

Which Neuron will be most useful to help find the answer?

ALL: Me! Me! Me! Oh, me!

Will it be fabulous Felix?

I can help so very much if you need the sense of touch.

will it be beautiful Belle?

I send messages to brain from ear. If there's a sound, I'll help you hear.

-Will it be lovely Luke?

-For looking and seeing, day or night,

-I'll help you with your sense of sight.

-Will it be awesome Ollie?

If it's pongy or whiffy but you can't tell,

-my messages help your sense of smell.

-Or will it be baby Bud?

Sour, salty, bitter or sweet, I'm your taste buddy whenever you eat!

-It's Luke!

-Yes!

# Go Luke, go Luke Go Luke, go Luke... #

Cool, Nina. I'll be looking out to help you.

Today's question is, "How do boats float?"

Because floating boats are something we see, Luke will help us today.

I'd better get the lab ready before the experimenters arrive!

Sonny likes kick boxing. His friend Harvey loves break dancing.

But they both want to find out how boats float.

So today, for one day only,

Sonny and Harvey become the experimenters!

Hi, guys.

BOTH: Hi, Nina.

Welcome to my science lab. Come in.

Oh, it's lovely to see you both.

You asked a brilliant question, "How do boats float?"

But why do you want to know?

We know boats float, but we don't know why.

We need to investigate.

For our first experiment, we'll use our senses.

ALL: Woop, woo! A senses experiment!

We're ready, Nina.

OK, guys. Let's pick a boat to set sail.

So, what are the boats doing?

BOTH: Floating.

That's right, they're staying on top of the water.

OK, let's try something else now.

This stone.

Oh!

Oh, dear. That certainly didn't float.

It doesn't float, it sinks.

Floating means something stays on top of the water, like these boats,

and sinking means it drops down to the bottom, like the stone.

Let's do another experiment to see what other things float.

Now, these blocks all look the same shape and size, don't they?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

But they're all made of something different. Let's try holding one.

-What does that block feel like?

-Light.

Hmm. It does feel light, like a feather or a balloon.

That's because it's made of polystyrene, that's very light.

Let's try the next one.

Ooh! This is much heavier! It's quite hard to pick up.

What do you think of that? Two hands! Good.

I think it's really, really, really heavy.

And the reason that it's heavy is because it's made of metal,

and most metals are very heavy.

Now, this is made of wood.

It's a bit heavy and a bit light.

So it's lighter than the heavy metal block,

but it's heavier than the light polystyrene.

Which of these blocks do you think will float and which will sink?

Sonny, can you pop that into the water?

It floats!

Harvey, put the wooden block in. Let's see what happens.

Hey, the wooden block floats too!

Now I'll put in the metal block.

I wonder what will happen?

Oh! The blocks made of wood and polystyrene floated,

but the block made of metal sank right to the bottom.

It's because even though some things look the same shape and size,

they can weigh different amounts if they're made from different things.

But why do some things float and others sink?

I think we need to take a trip to the seaside!

Let's go, experimenters!

Oh, goody! I love this bit. I wonder where Nina is taking us.

Nina said that we were going to the seaside.

Oh, I can't wait! I love the sounds of the sea.

Now, remember our experiment where the metal block sank to the bottom,

but the others didn't?

-Why do you think that happened?

-Because it was heavy.

You would think it's because it was heavier,

but actually that's not quite right,

because although some things are heavy and some are light,

this is not why they sink or float.

And an example of this is right here.

Wow! That's the biggest rowing boat I've ever seen!

That's not a rowing boat, Bud - it's a ferry boat.

That's right, Ollie. This is a ferry boat.

It's made of metal and it has to be big so lots of people

and cars and lorries can travel on it across the sea.

So why is this big, heavy, metal ferry boat able to float on water

when the metal block in the lab couldn't? All aboard!

Oh, look!

Oh! It's great fun up here on deck,

but it's not helping us work out how this big, heavy boat floats.

We need to go down below, so follow me, me hearties!

Wow! Look at the size of this place!

It's gigantic!

It certainly is, Bud.

This boat isn't made of metal all the way through.

Inside it has lots of space like this

where all the cars and lorries park during the journey.

When something has a big space in the middle, we say it is hollow.

Hollow? I like the sound of that word!

And filling these big, hollow spaces in the middle

is lots and lots of air.

Now, flap your hand in front of your face like this.

-Can you feel the breeze?

-Yes.

-Yes.

That's the air all around us moving about.

So, some boats are big and heavy and made of metal,

but they're also hollow and have lots of space inside them

where there is air. I wonder if this helps a boat to float.

It's time for one final experiment.

For this experiment, we're going to play a little game.

I've got some different things, and we're going to guess which float.

First up is my favourite bath toy, the rubber ducks.

Oh, I love rubber duckies! Quack, quack, quack!

OK, Harvey, can you hold the big duck in one hand

and the little duck in the other?

Now, which one feels heavier?

The big rubber duck.

OK, let's see. We'll pop them in these scales.

Oh!

The big rubber duck's side is lower.

That means it's heavier.

Well done, you're right. The big rubber duck is heavier.

-Which one do you think will float, Harvey?

-The little duck.

Let's find out.

Three, two, one, go.

Ooh!

The big rubber duck floated, and the little rubber duck

sank to the bottom.

Now, let's try the football and the marble.

OK, Sonny. Can you hold the football in one hand

and the marble in the other?

Which one is the heaviest, Sonny?

-The football.

-The football.

Let's pop them on the scales and see.

You ready?

Oh!

The football's definitely heavier.

Which one do you think will float?

The marble! The marble!

I think you're right, Bud. The football's so heavy,

it's bound to sink.

Three, two, one, go.

Look at that! The big football's sitting on top of the water,

and the little, tiny marble has dropped to the bottom.

Both the heavier, bigger things floated,

and the smaller, lighter things sank.

And that's these big things floating there are hollow inside,

and the smaller things that sank, they're solid.

Let me show you.

Do you see?

There's a big space inside them, just like on the ferry boat.

Although they feel heavy, they're full of air.

So, your question was, "How do boats float?" I think we've answered it.

We learned that floating isn't about being light or heavy.

We saw a light, tiny marble sink in our tank,

and we saw a big, heavy ferry boat floating in the sea.

But the boat wasn't solid all the way through -

it was hollow and full of air, which is light.

And our experiment showed that things that are hollow

or have spaces are more likely to float

than solid things, even if they feel heavier.

So boats float because they are hollow and have air inside them.

I hope that's answered your question.

-BOTH: Thanks, Nina. Bye!

-Bye!

If you want to know more about the science all around us,

go to the Nina section on the CBeebies website. Have fun!

Lab coat on, Nina?

Lab coat on, Ollie.

Safety gloves on, Nina?

Safety gloves on, Felix.

Don't forget your goggles, Nina.

Goggles are on, Luke. I think we're ready!

# We do experiments in the lab

-# In the lab!

-Shooby-dooby, in the lab

# Bubbling experiments in the lab

# In the lab!

# Go, Nina, in the lab

# Fizzing and popping Steam and smoke

# We need protection Don't we, folks?

# We always put our safety first

# Shooby-dooby, dooby-dooby

# We do experiments in the lab

# In the lab!

# Go, Nina! #

Ah, it's been such a great day, man,

watching what floats and what sinks.

The boats bobbed on the water,

but the rock sank all the way to the bottom.

It's been a marvellous day,

feeling how heavy or light things were.

Oh, I've had a brilliant day,

hearing all the noises inside the ferry.

There was plenty of space inside too,

all filled with air.

I've had a fabby day!

My favourite was the big rubber ducky.

He loved going for a paddle in the water! Quack, quack, quack!

Our day's been bursting with experiments.

Hope you've enjoyed it. See you soon. Bye!

ALL: Bye!