The Falkirk Wheel

Yesterday we went to the Falkirk Wheel which is the worlds one and only rotating boat lift which was constructed as part of the Millenium Link Project of which the objective was to revive Scotland's canals. Overall it cost £84 million ,although the wheel only cost 17.5 million. Surprisingly it only uses 1.5 kilowatts for one rotation. That's the same as two showers or eight kettles. The time it takes for on rotation is four-and-a-half minutes
Here is a panorama picture from the bottom



It works using little gears that rotate around a big, immobile gear. To keep the weight of the gondolas in equilibrium it uses the Archimedes principle. Say that there is fifty tons of water in each gondola and a barge weighing twenty-five tons drives in. It displaces its own weight in water and then hydraulic gates are put up to stop more water getting in. The hooks are a counter-weight to keep it going. The maximum weight it can take is equal to that of a hundred fully grown male African elephants. It took us two hours to get there and the best bit was going on the Falkirk Wheel . There was a nearby playpark which had big slides which were great fun.



It was an exciting day!!!!!!!