Build a Bridge. Mechanical Engineering: Sponsored by: Materials: 50 toothpicks and 30 marshmallows

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Morris Berry
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Mechanical Engineering: Build a Bridge 50 toothpicks and 30 marshmallows Ac vity: The task is to make a bridge that holds the most weight with the given materials.

1 Mechanical Engineering: Build a Bridge 50 toothpicks and 30 marshmallows Ac vity: The task is to make a bridge that holds the most weight with the given materials. Each team is given two minutes to plan a design and four minutes to build it. Tes ng: A round container will be placed on top of the bridge and marbles will be added to it un l the bridge fails (when it collapses or the bo om of it touches the table. Rules and Requirements: Use only toothpicks and marshmallows (no using the ruler, pencils or paper.) It must be at least 6.5 inches long. It must be able to hold the final tes ng device on top. Societal Impact: This ac vity shows how important teamwork is. When you work in groups you have more ideas generated which can lead to a be er design. Communica on is also extremely important. Engineers work in teams all the me and communicate ideas o en. Real World Examples: Structural concepts involving different shapes and how they act under a load is demonstrated. Engineers use knowledge of this to build buildings and bridges.

Materials Gummy wave machine (made with duct tape, wooden skewers, and gummy candies) Slinkies Wave Generator

through some sort of matter called a medium.

A homemade wave machine shows how energy is transported in waves.

A wave generator demonstrates the components of a wave and how they change based on certain variables.

2 Materials Gummy wave machine (made with duct tape, wooden skewers, and gummy candies) Slinkies Wave Generator (from the Mechanical Engineering Department) Activity Mechanical waves move energy from one place to another through some sort of matter called a medium. They travel when molecules in the medium collide, passing on energy. A homemade wave machine shows how energy is transported in waves. Slinkies demonstrate the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves. A wave generator demonstrates the components of a wave and how they change based on certain variables. Societal Impact and Examples Waves are all around us! They travel through water in those giant ocean waves or the tiny ripples in your glass of water. They move through land in earthquakes or through your jump rope in gym class. We can hear because sound travels in waves that vibrate our eardrums.

Mechanical Engineering: Mechanical Advantage Pulleys with hooks (6) Long rope/cable Large frame (i.e. with PVC pipe) Heavy weight (20lbs) Rigid rulers (3) Large binder clips (3) Common objects of various weights Styrofoam (2x2 ) Wooden dowels (5) PVC pipe Clear tubing Ac vi es: 1.

3 Mechanical Engineering: Mechanical Advantage Pulleys with hooks (6) Long rope/cable Large frame (i.e. with PVC pipe) Heavy weight (20lbs) Rigid rulers (3) Large binder clips (3) Common objects of various weights Styrofoam (2x2 ) Wooden dowels (5) PVC pipe Clear tubing Ac vi es: 1. Pulleys: Create a pulley system similar to the one shown below. The force necessary to li a mass on the other end is approximately 1/6 the amount of the weight, because the pulley used cuts the weight in half.

2. Levers: Create levers using the ruler as the lever, binder clips as the fulcrum (the point which supports the bar), and

Experiment with moving the posi on of the fulcrum, and making the 3 classes of levers.

Gears: Make cutouts of gears using the Styrofoam and a gear template printout.

interlock. Experiment with how gears can change the speed, torque and direc on. = 4.

4 2. Levers: Create levers using the ruler as the lever, binder clips as the fulcrum (the point which supports the bar), and small weights as the load at the end of the lever. Experiment with moving the posi on of the fulcrum, and making the 3 classes of levers. The closer the fulcrum is to the load, the more torque the effort has to exert in order to move the load. 3. Gears: Make cutouts of gears using the Styrofoam and a gear template printout. Mount the gears to a peg board or cardboard with the wooden dowels to keep them in place, and arrange the gears so that they interlock. Experiment with how gears can change the speed, torque and direc on. = 4. Archimedes Screw: Wind thin tubing in a spiral from the bo om to the top of a PVC pipe. Hot glue this tubing to the pipe, a ach a handle to the top of the cylinder so it can be easily rotated. Fill a container with water, then place the screw in the water and rotate. The water should begin to climb through the tube and come out of the top of the screw!

Societal Impact and Real World Examples: 1. Pulleys: Pulley systems help to redirect weight and to redirect forces.

Examples: elevators, water wells, exercise equipment, raising a flag on a flagpole, garage doors, window blinds, rock climbing 2.

Without levers, daily tasks such as gardening, or construc on work would be made much harder and would take much longer to complete.

Examples: a wheel barrow, your arm, an oar rowing a boat, a paddle in a canoe, a shovel, a teeter to er, doors 3.

The compact design and usability allows for reduced costs, simpler designs, and higher efficiency.

5 Societal Impact and Real World Examples: 1. Pulleys: Pulley systems help to redirect weight and to redirect forces. They are used within daily life, and help to make systems easier, safer, and more efficient. Examples: elevators, water wells, exercise equipment, raising a flag on a flagpole, garage doors, window blinds, rock climbing 2. Levers: Levers help us every day, providing assistance in picking up and moving heavy items. Without levers, daily tasks such as gardening, or construc on work would be made much harder and would take much longer to complete. Levers help to provide safer ways to move objects, by allowing us to not have to li so much weight. Examples: a wheel barrow, your arm, an oar rowing a boat, a paddle in a canoe, a shovel, a teeter to er, doors 3. Gears: Gears are used to increase speed, force, or change the direc on of a system. The compact design and usability allows for reduced costs, simpler designs, and higher efficiency. Without gears, systems like clocks, cars, or bikes would be much larger and much more difficult to control or adjust. Examples: clocks, gears in a car, motors, oscilla ng fan, gears on a bicycle 4. Archimedes Screw: This simple design allows water to defy gravity! Being able to transport water in a robust and safe design means that water which would otherwise be wasted can be collected and used for irriga on, a cooling system, or generate electricity from the mechanical mo on of the water. Examples: raising water (for irriga on), wind turbine design, hydro turbines, pumps

Mechanical Engineering: Sustainable Wind Energy 1 Windmill Base (half gallon milk carton, skewer, yarn, 2 inch foam ball, 3oz plas c cup and small Play Doh ball) Blade Materials (popsicle s cks,

6 Mechanical Engineering: Sustainable Wind Energy 1 Windmill Base (half gallon milk carton, skewer, yarn, 2 inch foam ball, 3oz plas c cup and small Play Doh ball) Blade Materials (popsicle s cks, tape, index cards, plas c bo les, and cardboard boxes) Paper clips and small binder clips for weights Small fan Ac vity: Your goal is to choose the blade design and the number of blades that you believe will create the most powerful windmill. (The windmill bases will already be prepared for you.) The power of the windmill is determined by how much weight the windmill can li while the blades are moving. Societal Impact/Real World Examples: There is a growing need for sustainable energy as we are con nuing to use up fossil fuels and push more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contribu ng to global warming. Wind energy is a form of sustainable energy that we can use. It is created by taking the kine c energy of the wind and turning it into mechanical power which can be used to generate electricity. We use electricity all the me to power our kitchen appliances, our lights, and our air condi oners, and many other common devices.

First, you are first given a minute to brainstorm design ideas. Then, you are given four minutes to build a floating device.

7 Mechanical Engineering: Float-A-Boat 1 square of aluminum foil 1 square of wax paper 1 square of newspaper 1 strip of tape 3 in. long As many pennies as you need Activity: Your goal is to design and construct a floating device out of the given materials and see how much weight can be supported before the boat takes on water. First, you are first given a minute to brainstorm design ideas. Then, you are given four minutes to build a floating device. When construction is completed, the volunteer will load coins into the boat until it takes on water. The teams that built the boat that held the most pennies will be put on the leaderboard! Rules: Only provided materials may be used, and you must work in a group! Societal Impact/Real World Examples: This activity shows the importance of the engineering design process, as well as the concept of buoyancy and how a boat stays afloat! Engineers will brainstorm different methods of construction, including size, shape, and material selection, to best fit a boat s application. These design considerations will greatly impact how much weight a boat can hold before it sinks! For example, a cargo ship looks very different from a sail boat. Why do you think that is?

Designing the Most Energy Efficient. Wind Turbine Blades. Secondary Subjects Physical Science, Social Studies, Technology, Math, Art

Designing the Most Energy Efficient Wind Turbine Blades Lesson Plan By Shay Motalebi Primary Subject Earth Science Secondary Subjects Physical Science, Social Studies, Technology, Math, Art Grade levels