Mini-catapult videos

I found a couple of miniature catapult videos that may be of interest to my students. They are in no means meant to be the absolute directions on how to build a miniature catapult, but rather a guide to possibilities.

Mini-Catapults

Well, we are dwindling down to our last two weeks of club; and it's been a very engaging experience for all of the students. They came to club this afternoon very excited about working on catapults these next couple of weeks. Many of them have heard much about marshmallow-flinging catapults from fellow classmates that participated in the TSA (Technology Student Association) in February.  All session they asked me when they would get to make catapults, and now its finally time!

We began our meeting today with a keynote presentation taking a brief look at the history of catapults, learning about how it was a derivative of the ancient cross-bow, viewing its basic design, seeing video clips of the catapult's use during the Crusades and modern day uses at "Punkin' Chunkin", and finally watching a few amateur tutorial clips on creating miniature catapults. However, they were so excited to get started it was hard to watch the tutorial clips and dive right in to some hands-on ingenuity. After all, this is Engineering by Design - what better way for them to really understand the ins-and-outs of torsion-controlled catapults than to put their heads together and build some!

Along they way this afternoon the teams came across a few hiccups as they tried to engineer their precision machines. One such hiccup was the lack of a hot glue gun. (Will have to remember that for next week.) Another was the discovery that our scrap wood pieces were not as flat, as tall, or as chunky as they would have liked them to be for their bases. They did, however, discover the wonders of Gorilla tape! In fact, I saw a team try to fold up a small strip of the tape and wind it up between two popsicle sticks for the torsion band. I think they later decided against the tape idea and went with several rubber bands twisted together.

The teams did not finish their catapults today, but were promised time during next week's club meeting (our last one for the session, and the year) to finish their catapults before the trials. Below are a few shots of the teams as they work to put together their catapults:

The Black Ops Bros. working on their design.

The Victorians using some Gorilla tape to help
stabilize their cross bars.

 

 

The Engineers piecing together their catapult.

Engineer John testing out their catapult arm.

 

 

The Science and Technology team pausing in their construction for a quick shot.

Team S.A.T. working together to construct their mini-catapult.

 

 

Leonardo's Assistants testing the power in their skein.

Apollo Astronaut Egg Drop

Today the companies were given the task of designing and constructing protective capsules capable of safely landing their "Apollo astronauts" (eggs) back on earth (or the tile flooring in the Tech Lab) when falling from the upper atmosphere (or dropped from the top a ladder).

Each team was given a raw egg to protect, and added their astronaut's face onto the egg with a Sharpie marker. The teams were provided with packaging materials and a pre-cut plastic two-liter soda bottle (for their capsule). Then the teams set to work preparing and lining the inside of their capsule with enough insulation to protect their egg astronaut from the impact of an 8-foot drop.

The students were also asked to write their prediction of the outcome of the drop and explain their thinking for the prediction. Every group predicted their egg would have a safe landing because of the materials they used in the insulation of the capsule.

The Engineers:

Materials used: Foam star stickers, for decoration; craft foam sheets to line the inside of the capsule and keep the egg safe; small cloth tote bag, to protect the egg; Styrofoam packing peanuts to protect the egg and catching air; plastic straws to catch added air for insulation; duct tape, to keep it all together; yarn, used to attach the parachute to the capsule; felt fabric sheets, used to create a parachute to attach to the capsule; and air pillows, to protect the egg.

The Engineers protected their astronaut egg by wrapping the egg in a felt sheet, then stuffing the wrapped egg inside a small cloth tote bag to keep the egg snug. After lining the inside of the capsule with craft foam sheets they put the egg inside the capsule stuffing foam peanuts and straws inside the capsule, taped the capsule closed, decorated the outside of the capsule, wrapped air pillows around the outside of the capsule, constructed a parachute from felt sheets, and used yarn to attach the parachute to the capsule.

They predicted that their egg was going to land safely, and said they were 95% sure of this. Their prediction turned out to be correct. Their egg was very well protected inside of layers of insulation.

Engineer John trying to hold the stuffed capsule together as another member of the Engineers goes to get the Gorilla tape.	Engineer Lily proudly holding their egg capsule complete with air bags and a cloth parachute.

The Victorians:

Materials used: Cotton balls, for the comfort of Jeff (their astronaut); Styrofoam peanuts, for Jeff's protection; felt sheets, for comfort and protection; plastic Easter egg, to contain Jeff; paper clips, for added weight; air pillows, for a safe landing; plastic grocery bag, for a parachute; and duct tape, to hold everything.

The Victorians began by wrapping felt sheets around the inside bottom of their capsule, then stuffing cotton balls inside the bottom half of the capsule. They put Jeff, their egg, inside a small plastic Easter egg, leaving his face peeking out the middle, and also because he would not fit all the way inside the plastic egg. Then they crushed up Styrofoam peanuts and filled the inside of the capsule, making sure they fill every available space with the crushed Styrofoam. Next they taped and sealed the capsule closed, wrapped the air pillows around the outside of the capsule, and added their parachute made from a plastic grocery bag.

They hypothesized that Jeff the egg would survive because he was very well protected, and wished him luck. Jeff was well insulated and so survived the impact after being dropped 8 feet from the top of a ladder.

Markella and Kennedy stuff crushed Styrofoam inside every possible spot in their capsule.	The Victorians showing off their cushioned Apollo Egg Drop capsule with parachute.

Leonardo's Assistants:

Materials used: Plastic bottle for the capsule; Styrofoam peanuts, for protection; 1 raw egg, as  the astronaut; tape, to hold it all together; a plastic bag to slow the fall and act as a parachute; yarn, to hold the bag to the bottle; and felt sheets, for protection.

Leonardo's Assistants assembled their space capsule by putting the Styrofoam peanuts and felt sheets inside the bottle halves, adding the egg inside, and then taping the bottle together with Gorilla tape. Next they created a parachute with yarn pieces and a plastic grocery bag, securing it to the bottle, then wrapped felt sheets around the outside of the bottle.

They predicted that their egg would live because of their protection and the resistance from the bag.
Their prediction of the surviving egg was accurate. (No egg "juice" here!)

Ben proudly showing the Assistants space capsule design.	Ben, Tyler, and Jayden stuffing Styrofoam peanuts inside their space capsule.

Black Ops Brothers:

Materials used: tape, to hold it all together; piece of cardboard, to provide a large bouncy base of the space capsule to land on; felt sheets, for protection; plastic drinking straws, to hold up the parachute, air bags, for protection, and plastic Easter eggs for material and style.

B.O.B.'s constructed their space capsule by adding the raw egg slightly inside a smaller plastic Easter egg, stuffing felt sheets inside the bottle halves for cushion, and placing the egg inside the bottle before taping it shut with Gorilla tape. Airbags were then wrapped around the bottle with a cardboard piece added to the bottom of the capsule for a wide base to land on. Extra airbags were added to the bottom of the capsule providing a bumper to cushion the impact. A parachute was constructed from drinking straws and a piece of felt fabric.

The company predicted that the egg would not break because it would be such a soft landing. Their wide base bumper design worked. Their egg survived the landing.

Jack and Eric stuffing felt sheets inside the capsule of cushion.	Black Ops Brothers' wide base bumper design showing the air cushions under the base and a small parachute on top.

Science and Technology:
Materials used: Styrofoam "icemers", to cushion the fall; felt sheets, to protect the egg; plastic Easter egg, to hold the egg; plastic straws, to hold up the yellow cloth (more felt); yellow cloth (felt), to act as a parachute, to slow the capsule down as it fell.

The "S.a.T." Team formulated their space capsule inside by putting styrofoam into the bottle, inserting their brave egg astronaut inside a plastic Easter egg - being careful to tape around the edges of the two eggs to hold their astronaut safely inside the outer plastic egg. Then for added protection, they wrapped the egg inside a sheet of felt, and carefully nestled the wrapped egg into the styrofoam in the bottle. For even more protection in the top half of the bottle, they stuffed more felt sheets. Then they used Gorilla tape to secure the two halves of the two-liter bottle together, then removed the bottle's cap for a place to hold their straws. Then they fashioned a parachute out of another sheet of felt and attached the felt sheet to the straws sticking out of the bottle to create a parachute.

They made an educated guess that the egg wouldn't break because of all the soft cushion they used inside the capsule. Their educated guess paid off; their brave little astronaut egg landed in one piece.

Science and Technology Team give their capsule
the thumbs up, all systems set to go!

It was a good day for all teams as all eggs safely landed in the drop zone in the Technology Lab, despite repeated chants to see some spilled "egg juice" from the crowd.

Straw Rocket Science

Today the students took a look at some elementary rocket science, beginning with Newton's Third Law of Motion (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.) and ending with some straw rocket blasting fun. We talked about some of the forces necessary for a rocket to lift off from their pad at Kennedy Space Center, defined thrust, drag, angle, and trajectory, then set about the build some of our own rockets - straw rockets, that is. We wondered if there was a relationship between the length of the straw rocket and the distance it could travel when launched from a Pitsco Straw Rocket Launcher.

Each group worked under a few simple design constraints - rockets should have a minimum of two fins and a maximum of five fins; the body of the rocket should be a minimum of 10 cm and a maximum length of 20 cm; and each group MUST work as a team with no less than two people working on a rocket. The rockets were constructed of plastic drink straws (non-bendable kind), index card cut fins, and clay for the nose.  Although the students ran out of time before they were able to scientifically prove whether the smaller rockets went further than the long or uncut straw pieces turned rockets, they did enjoy trying to shoot their rockets down the hallway. One thing they discovered was that not all straws are exactly the same size. Some of the straws, even though they were all from the same package, would not fit over the metal tubing on the base of the rocket launcher loosely enough to be ejected into the air. Some of the straw rockets got stuck on the launcher at lift off.

Alex prepares to send off his straw rocket as Ben, Jayden, Cooper, and Sara watch.	Alex gives his straw rocket another chance as Cooper looks on.
Ethan and company set the launcher for maximum thrust.	Ben and Eric setting up the rocket launcher to send off Black Obs Brothers' straw rocket.
Sara and Lily getting ready to launch their straw rocket as Alex, John, Ethan, and Eric watch.	Jamie, Ben, and Kennedy waiting their turn for the straw rocket launcher.

 

 

 

New and improved?

Today's activity is always a crowd favorite, and a welcome break from the FCAT blues. I found a brief (5 minutes) podcast on iTunesU that was a great lead in for a discussion on creativity in inventions. This podcast was part of the FOSS Ideas and Inventions Science Stories from Lawrence Hall of Science. It presented the inspiring stories of Art Fry's Post-It Notes, Waldo Semon's PVC, and Charles Goodyear's vulcanization process of rubber. All three stories were stories about finding creative solutions of ordinary problems, accidental discoveries, and seemingly failed inventions. We talked about creativity and the influences on our creativity, and then wondered where scientists and other inventors get the inspirations for their creations.

Building from this exercise, the Engineering by Design companies had a chance to experiment and design their own inventions. Or at least, take the inventions of common, everyday, ordinary household items and turn them into something new.  They were to think of a problem that needed a solution, select from a collection of household goods, modify and improve them, and finally market the new and improved items for "patents". The companies were limited to today's club meeting for time limits. However, I have to wonder if we might be seeing some of their designs in the near future on the market, or at least late night infomercials.

The Engineers proudly displaying their new "Scrubtastick"
Do you have so many brushes and scrubbies that you can't keep track of them all? Have you ever mixed up your vegetable brush with your dish cleaning brush? If so, then you need the "Scrubtastick"! Scrubtastick is many brushes in one. No more hunting all over under your kitchen sink for individualized brushes when the new Scrubtastick takes the place of them all. Go from scrubbing your vegetables, to scraping your dishes, cleaning your bathroom, to finally exfoliating your body all with one brush. And, its dishwasher safe, so you can sanitize it when you're done. Comes complete with a little bell to help you find it. All for one easy payment of $29.99! Order now! (Not really...)
The revolutionary Looper! Pet hair catcher and scraper	Leonardo's Assistants presenting the Looper
Are you attracted to your pet's hair? Does it follow you from your couch to your work, on the back of your clothes?! Then you should get the Looper, part lint brush, part scooper. Its a pet hair catcher and scooper all-in-one. Use the lint brush side to remove pesky, unwanted hair left behind in your pet's shedding - simply wipe the brush side along your couch, rug, or clothing, then give the brush a tap inside the scooper to trap the hair until you are ready to dispose of it. Your furniture is fresh and hair-free, leaving you free to enjoy your pet, once again. A great bargain at just $9.99.
	The Victorians present the V-Scrubber
Looking for a heavy duty accessory that is gentle enough to clean your delicate wood table? Look no further! The V-Scrubber brought to you by the Victorians Company is just the tool you have been looking for. It cleans hard scum from your tables, washes them sparkling clean, and refreshes them with its built in soap dispenser, then dries and polishes them to a high shine. The price of $15.89 includes the specialized soap - get them before they are gone!
	Science and Technology company presenting the handy-dandy, super-duper flashlight holder.
Now, we know just what you are thinking- can't you just hold your flashlight in your hands like you are already doing? Well, yes, of course you can do that, but we think you will be more stylin' and hip with our Handy-dandy Super-duper Flashlight holder. Its adjustable so it can fit any size flashlight. Comes in many personalized colors. Is washable, but at $1.99 each, they are practically disposable! Disposable you say? Why would I want it to be disposable? Let's say you're sitting around a campfire eating s'mores, you need to hit the latrine or head off to your tent - you grab for your flashlight, and yuck! Your sticky, gooey fingers just got melted chocolate and marshmallow mess on your expensive flashlight! But, with the Science and Technology's handy-dandy, super-duper flashlight holder, you do not need to worry about ruining your flashlight. You can get the mess on the flashlight holder, then simply change it out for a fresh flashlight holder when you have clean hands. No more mess! So, remember, at $1.99, you can save your flashlight from getting messy, and add a bit of bling!
Black Ops Bros. team members presenting the Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000	Two of Black Ops Brothers company members hard at work on their Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000
Do you need a powerful toilet cleaning brush that is gentle enough on your hands? Then you need the Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000! The Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000 powers through clogged toilets, while cleaning them with the power and speed of tornadoes. But the long strings mean your hands stay clean, dry, and sanitary. The toughest, stopped up toilets are no match for the Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000! Leaves your bowl clean as a whistle! (Note: This tool is still in the development stage and is not yet available. The Black Ops Brothers company is still determining its price to consumers. When it becomes available, you will be the first to know!)

Join the mission, design a patch

2011 marks the last of the space shuttle flights and the end of the space shuttle program. The first space shuttle lifted off on April 12, 1981. Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to take off for its final mission on June 28 of this year. In an effort to pay tribute to the over 135 shuttle mission flights, the Engineering by Design crew was given the challenge this week to design patches for the space shuttles. Their design brief included the challenges of naming at least one space shuttle in their design, working as a team - just as the members of each of the space shuttle mission crews did, creating an original design, keeping the design appropriate and with the spirit of peace, and had to be based on research related to exploration. After spending some time in NASA’s website and studying some of their past space shuttle mission patches, the groups came up with the following designs:

Black Ops Brothers paying tribute to the Space Shuttle Discovery	Leonardo’s Assistants design incorporating all six of the space shuttle names
The Science and Technology team chose to incorporate an American flag into their design along with all six of the space shuttle names.	The Engineers chose a 5 point star as the base of their design, showing Atlantis as the last of the space flights on top.
The Victorians took their inspiration from their name incorporating an large V into their design, and showed two different angles of the space shuttles.

Designing Logos

Our first meeting of the Braden River Elementary School Engineering by Design Enrichment Club kicked off today, Monday, March 28, 2011, with 19 of its 21 registered members in attendance. To further build excitement and club spirit, the task for the day was breaking up into think tank companies and designing logos for each. After designing logos, the students designed logos to be transferred onto t-shirts to be worn on Mondays, our club meeting days.

Below are the results of the logo designs:

As an example, I showed the students a t-shirt design I came up with along with a group of teachers during a three-day Engineering by Design workshop.

The design to the left is a photoshop rendition of the design drawn on a small t-shirt with fabric markers. You  can click on the image to zoom.

The workshop was on the I3 project which focused on the concepts of Innovation, Invention, and Inquiry.

Lily, John, Sara, and Ethan’s design reflecting that engineering and ingenuity begins in the minds. (And thinking along the lines of “Odyssey of the Mind”.) the TE in the middle stands for Technology and Engineering, two of the four STEM components.

Markella, Grace,  Jamie, and Kennedy’s Victorian company’s design.

Ben, Tyler, Alex A., and Jayden drew inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci for their company’s design, incorporating da Vinci’s flying machine into their design.

Max, Hunter, Nicolas, and Tucker also took their cue from STEM using gears for Science and Technology.

The combined designing creativity of Jack, Eric, Alex D. and Cooper decided on a technologically advanced military approach with the helicopter, gas mask with night vision, and stealth bomber plane for their Black Ops  Brothers company.