On November 6, Mr. Chris Hahn’s physics class experimented with hoverboards. This was not the expensive, sometimes explosive, two-wheeled hoverboards that we’re so used to hearing about, but an actual contraption used to hover above the ground.

Here’s how it worked for the class. The air flowing down from a fan propels the craft upward just enough to keep it above the ground, eliminating any friction it would have had sliding across the floor. So long as the fan is able to keep the craft aloft and the craft remains balanced, the hoverboard is able to successfully hover for however long the fan remains active.

Members of the class were able to ride the hoverboard as it moved down a portion of Main Street during the testing of the craft, providing a fun example to the class of how the device works up close. One person would choose the direction of the craft by pushing it.

“It was pretty scary,” said Tommy Moyer as he observed what it was like to sit atop the craft. “You had no control over where you went. You’d have to completely reply on someone else to keep you from bumping into things.”