Amanda Knapp
In the children's animated film *Ponyo*, the young heroes use magic to transform a toy putt putt boat into a full-sized boat. But would this really work? The physics of pop pop boats are well-documented, and in 2024 a team created a working full-sized version of a pop pop boat engine. However, it had no way to steer. So, could a pop pop boat really be scaled up to carry people?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of boat | Pop-pop boat |
| How it works | The water being propelled out the back of the boat forms a narrow jet, while the water being drawn back in on the second half of the cycle is drawn in from all directions |
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What You'll Learn
- The boat in Ponyo is a pop pop boat
- Pop pop boats work because of the asymmetry of the inflow and outflow of water
- The water being propelled out the back of the boat forms a narrow jet
- The momentum of the outflow is expelled, while the momentum of the inflow is transferred to the boat
- A full-sized pop pop boat has been created in real life
The boat in Ponyo is a pop pop boat
The boat in Ponyo is a pop-pop boat. In the film, the young heroes use magic to transform a toy pop-pop boat into a big boat and ride in it. In reality, pop-pop boats work because the water being propelled out of the back of the boat forms a narrow jet, while the water being drawn back in on the second half of the cycle is drawn in from all directions. This creates a net forward motion, with no way to steer. The physics of the operation of the pop-pop boat is similar to that of the Feynman sprinkler, a submerged sprinkler which is seen to turn weakly or not at all as water is sucked in through it.
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Pop pop boats work because of the asymmetry of the inflow and outflow of water
Pop-pop boats work because of the asymmetry of the inflow and outflow of water. The inflow of water causes no appreciable force on the boat, while the outflow of water forms a narrow jet, propelling the boat forward. This is because the water being drawn back in on the second half of the cycle is drawn in from all directions, pushing against the water and gas further up the tube. This results in a net forward motion, with no way to steer.
In the children's animated movie Ponyo, the young heroes use magic to transform a toy pop-pop boat into a big boat and ride in it. While the boat in Ponyo may not be physically possible without magic, the principles behind pop-pop boats are based on real physics. The physics of the operation of the pop-pop boat is similar to that of the Feynman sprinkler, a submerged sprinkler that turns weakly or not at all as water is sucked in through it.
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The water being propelled out the back of the boat forms a narrow jet
The boat in Ponyo is a pop-pop boat, which works by using the asymmetry of the shapes of the inflow and outflow to its advantage. The inflow and outflow carry the same momentum in opposite directions, but the momentum of the outflow is expelled, while the momentum of the inflow is transferred to the boat. This sucking/blowing asymmetry makes the boat more efficient.
The water being propelled out of the back of the boat forms a narrow jet, while the water being drawn back in on the second half of the cycle is drawn in from all directions. This creates a net forward motion, with no way to steer. The inflow of water causes no appreciable force on the boat.
In the film, the boat is created through magic, but in reality, pop-pop boats are a real phenomenon. A full-sized version of a pop-pop boat engine was created by the AHHAA Science Centre in Tartu, Estonia.
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The momentum of the outflow is expelled, while the momentum of the inflow is transferred to the boat
The boat in *Ponyo* is a magical, person-sized version of a pop-pop boat, also known as a putt-putt boat.
Pop-pop boats work because of the asymmetry of the shapes of the inflow and the outflow. The momentum of the outflow is expelled, while the momentum of the inflow is transferred to the boat. The water being propelled out the back of the boat forms a narrow jet, while the water being drawn back in on the second half of the cycle is drawn in from all directions. This results in a net forward motion, with no way to steer.
The physics of the operation of the pop-pop boat is similar to that of the Feynman sprinkler, a submerged sprinkler which is seen to turn weakly or not at all as water is sucked in through it.
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A full-sized pop pop boat has been created in real life
In the children's animated movie Ponyo, the young heroes use magic to transform a toy pop pop boat into a big boat and ride in it. However, in real life, we have to grapple with the laws of nature. There's a critical size for everything in nature, and it's difficult to scale up.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the boat in Ponyo would not work in real life. In the film, the characters use magic to transform a toy boat into a full-size boat, but in reality, there are laws of nature that would prevent this from working.
A pop pop boat is a toy boat that works by propelling water out of the back, which forms a narrow jet. This causes a net forward motion, with no way to steer.
The physics of a pop pop boat are similar to that of a Feynman sprinkler. As water is sucked into the sprinkler, it turns weakly or not at all. The sucking/blowing asymmetry makes the boat more efficient.
Yes, a team at the AHHAA Science Centre in Tartu, Estonia, created a working full-sized version of a pop pop boat engine.
