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Ping Pong Power

During your next swimming adventure, hold a ping pong power splash race against your friends. You have to race to move a ping pong ball across a distance, but you can only use tidal or wave power to move the ping pong ball.

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Plan

  • How will you make waves?
  • How will you direct the waves where you want them to go?
  • What is the difference between waves and the tide?

Do

  • Race your friends to see who can move a ping pong ball across a distance – but you can't touch the ping pong ball, you can only use splashes to mimic tidal and wave power.

Review

  • How could this wave energy be harnessed and turned into electricity?
  • How predictable were the waves that you created? Do you think that tides are more or less predictable than waves?
  • Did wind power also play a role in your success?
  • Remember to submit your activities on our Scouts for Sustainability Take Action Map

Materials

  • Ping Pong balls

Keep it Simple

  • See who can make the most wave power by holding a cannonball contest

Take it Further

  • You can add in some wind power of your own by allowing people to blow on their ping pong ball to get it moving.