Young Inventors at Work Class Summary 3/10/14

with Leigh Ann Yoder

Making Barges

Today the students became Marine Engineers! We opened class with two demonstrations -- the first, illustrating the difference between weight and density. We were able to extend the concept to explain why a steel nail will sink, but an ocean liner made of steel will not. From there, the students were easily able to deduce how a submarine submerges and rises. Make certain you ask them about it. The second demonstration illustrated Archimedes' principle. We used water displacement to measure the weight of a block of wood. This was very similar to the experiment they watched for homework. I believe all the students enjoyed seeing this demonstration live.

Next we had our opening challenge which was to make a cup out of one piece of aluminum foil that would carry water a distance. Although some of the students were very successful, it was harder than it seemed for others. It was a quick and fun challenge to get the students thinking.

We followed with a reading about Ole Evinrude and his invention of the Outboard motor. Hopefully the students will share the details of his story with you.

Our main challenge today consisted of designing a barge that could hold the most weight. The teams had three opportunities to implement the design, test, redesign process -- each time incorporating new materials. The teams were judged on how many nails their barges could hold until they began to sink. Below are the results:

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Trial One: 
One piece of aluminum foil and 2 inches tape
Team One - 45 nails
Team Two - 38 nails
Team Three - 16 nails

Trial Two: 
One piece of aluminum foil, 4 inches tape, and 5 straws
Team Two - 49 nails
Team One - 38 nails
Team Three - 10 nails (got a hole)

Trial  Three:
One piece of aluminum foil, 4 inches tape, 5 straws, 2 balloons
Team Two - 63 nails
Team One - 18 nails (got a hole)
Team Three - 16 nails (got a hole)

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Next week I will not be in class, but Mr. Insel will be covering for me. He has all of the materials needed to lead an exciting class with brand new challenges!

Note On Homework

Some of the students are not up to date with the Engineering projects. I really hate to see this become overwhelming for them at the end of the semester. Each week's assignment is a particular part of the final project. Please, if you have questions or trouble opening documents, email me during the week. In just a few weeks they will be putting together the first section of their tri-fold boards. At the bottom of the homework section I am including the assignment from last week, as several of the students did not hand it in.  

Homework Due On March 24th

***Bring in Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Rolls, Bring Cardboard Boxes on March 24th***

1. Semester Project:  Report Draft:  Research a famous engineer in your chosen field, and write a report.  The report is to be two-four pages typed, double-spaced, font size 12. It can be in the form of an interview if you like. If you cannot find a famous engineer, you can interview someone that currently works in the field, or research someone you think has made a contribution or is working on an interesting project. Don’t be afraid to email someone you don’t know and ask if they would be willing to answer some questions for you. Perhaps your parents can help you find someone. 
   
2. You are to hand in the rough draft in two weeks (March 24th)! Here is another great site for your research: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science_careers.shtml#engineering
   
3. Purchase your tri-fold board for your semester project (you don't need to bring this in)
   
4. Watch a video interview with a Marine Architecht 
   
5. Story of Inventions (optional) – read chapters 8 & 9
   
6. Reading (optional) – If you want to learn more about Archimedes and his contributions to science and mathematics, read Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick. This is a fabulous book and I hope you choose to read it!
   

****If you missed last week's homework - see below ****

Semester Project - Job Description:
Students are to research their specific engineering profession and answer the questions they have been given. They are encouraged to type their responses.
A good resource is:  http://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm
Another resource is:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/profile/index.html
(You need to scroll to the bottom of the page and choose your profession)