In this activity, students will use their knowledge of area and perimeter to create a racetrack. Once they have the correct specifications they will guide their car through the track using the properties of magnets.
Investigate why and how spacecraft must dissipate energy when landing back on Earth, or on Mars, or anywhere else for that matter.
Astronaut Randy Bresnik talks about the landing. Also see how the energy from a landing is dissipated in a hands-on classroom activity.
Unit Goals: By the end of the unit, students should be able to combine some or all of the following ideas to explain the flashlight phenomenon or other related events.PS3.A Definitions of energyPS3.B Conservation of energy and energy transferPS3.D Energy in chemical processes and everyday lifePS1.A Structure and Properties of MatterPhenomenon & Anchoring Question Phenomenon: [Mr./Ms.Teacher] accidentally shoves the flashlight in a desk drawer and the switch gets flipped on. The flashlight stays on inside the desk for a whole month (30 days). When [Mr/Ms. Teacher] goes to use the flashlight it doesn’t work anymore. What happened? What caused it to stop working? What’s happening inside the flashlight or parts of the flashlight that might cause it to stop working?Question: Why would a flashlight eventually stop working if it were accidentally left turned on for a period of time?
Students build their own two-cell batteries. They also determine which electrolyte solution is best suited for making batteries.
Students observe a model waterwheel to investigate the transformations of energy involved in turning the blades of a hydro-turbine. Students work as engineers to create model waterwheels while considering resources such as time and materials, in their design. Students also discuss and explore the characteristics of hydropower plants.
Students learn the history of the waterwheel and common uses for water turbines today. They explore kinetic energy by creating their own experimental waterwheel from a two-liter plastic bottle. They investigate the transformations of energy involved in turning the blades of a hydro-turbine into work, and experiment with how weight affects the rotational rate of the waterwheel. Students also discuss and explore the characteristics of hydroelectric plants.
This lesson uses a hands-on approach to teach about renewable energy with a case study in wind turbines. This lesson also uses engineering design to help situate renewable energy within a practical human society.
Windmills have been used for hundreds of years to collect energy from the wind in order to pump water, grind grain, and more recently generate electricity. There are many possible designs for the blades of a wind generator and engineers are always trying new ones. Design and test your own wind generator, then try to improve it by running a small electric motor connected to a voltage sensor.
Students learn how engineers transform wind energy into electrical energy by building their own miniature wind turbines and measuring the electrical current it produces. They explore how design and position affect the electrical energy production.
To explore different ways of using solar energy, students build a model solar water heater and determine how much it can heat water in a given amount of time. Solar water heaters work by solar radiation and convection.