Project 3: Outreach Activity for Engineering Education

Questions:

What is the engineering principle that the children will learn?

They will learn the use of gears and gear ratios.  We will explain to them how ratios work and what are some common uses for gears. 

What is the activity?

We will give the children various shafts, gears, and a structure to accommodate them.  Then we will ask them to construct a device using the parts given.  Each time they will make a different apparatus.  Each apparatus will be with a different ratio, and they will be able to see the different output rotations.  

6th - 8th

Explained above under "What is the activity?"

What will be in the activity box? If appropriate, include a sketch of the activity.

Gears, Shafts, Pulleys, Weights, and a structure to accommodate all these items

How does your activity meet the requirements given above?

Requirements:

• Engage the students in an engineering activity

          They are using gears and experimenting with gear ratios.

• Teach them something about what engineers do

          Engineers work with these mechanisms

• Appeal to all types of children (not just competitive children who like to blow things up)

          Every child will like to experiment with this contraption, plus they can have fun while doing it

• Engage about 30 children simultaneously

          There will be teams of kids working on this, and if necessary we can build multiple kits.

• Be safe, durable, and suitable for an indoor classroom

          Its safe, no sharp parts or mechanisms that the kids can hurt themselves on.

• Employ principles of universal design

          It does.

• Be transportable in a compact car.

          The final product is not very big, it will fit.