Sitting in an inflatable raft, desperately trying to guide yourself towards ‘solid’ water away from the foamy spray, watching giant rocks approaching from all sides, worried by the knowledge that all but one passenger in the boat is an amateur, aware there are only eight plastic paddles to command an influence over the breaking waves … that’s what some people do on their holidays. Strange, but perhaps invigorating?  

Have you ever wondered what makes white water white?

You might like to …

• investigate white water rafting and kayaking; find out where people do it, and see what similar features the rivers have
• find out what rafts and kayaks are made from, and what essential properties they need
• find out about different ‘grades’ of white water; investigate the movement of water over different surfaces
• measure the water speed and turbulence of different parts of a river
• investigate how the arrangement of people or objects in a model raft affect the centre of gravity and balance of the raft.

Further links:
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/
agesubject/lessons/newton/whitewater.html