The boat challenge results are in:
The pirate captains Alex, Marty and /Russ' ship sailed off into the sunset with its pirate flag hoisted high upon the gaff.
The merchant barge sailors (Danni, Madi M, Bre & Lauren) were hot on the heels of the pirate ship when they realised it was a pirate vessel and promptly scuttled themselves (their cargo shift due to the sudden turn).
The chasing naval vessel crewed by Catherine, Tayla, Kelly and Madi J managed an initial turn of speed but when the pressure increased the stress was too much and their vessel capsized.
The other naval chase vessel crewed by Lucas, Chris and Nat began taking water the moment she touched water and immediately capsized.
The overall designs showed some excellent ideas and the response from the students was excellent in that they all rose to the challenge and exceeded their own expectations.
The next challenge is now in the pipeline.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Table Challenge update
The results from the table challenge are as follows:
Catherine, Madi J, Tayla & Kelly = the triangle table held the load of the table top but failed under load with the book/laptop.
Russ, Alex & Chris = pedestal design held the load of the table top but failed under load of the book.
Madi M, Bre, Danni & Lauren = failed under the load of the table top
Nat, Marty & Lucas = failed under the load of the table top
The 2 designs that supported the table top load were better thought out with regards the initial load requirement of the table top with some sound design principles used. However further design and communication with prelimnary sketches would have been extremely useful.
This challenge will be repeated at a later stage with some modifications of materials :)
Catherine, Madi J, Tayla & Kelly = the triangle table held the load of the table top but failed under load with the book/laptop.
Russ, Alex & Chris = pedestal design held the load of the table top but failed under load of the book.
Madi M, Bre, Danni & Lauren = failed under the load of the table top
Nat, Marty & Lucas = failed under the load of the table top
The 2 designs that supported the table top load were better thought out with regards the initial load requirement of the table top with some sound design principles used. However further design and communication with prelimnary sketches would have been extremely useful.
This challenge will be repeated at a later stage with some modifications of materials :)
Challenge 2 Watercraft Design Part 1
Making a boat out of straws (10), 20 cm piece of duct tape, 20 cm length of cling-wrap and a plastic cup.
The time limit is 50 minutes design and construction.
The 'boat' must support the mass of 30 copper discs for 10 seconds.
The designs were innovative and process went smoother than the bridge challenge. From the teaching perspective it was a delight to see the communication and brainstorming step up a gear as they all rose to the challenge of building their boat.
The winning design will be mentioned my next post.
Making a boat out of straws (10), 20 cm piece of duct tape, 20 cm length of cling-wrap and a plastic cup.
The time limit is 50 minutes design and construction.
The 'boat' must support the mass of 30 copper discs for 10 seconds.
The designs were innovative and process went smoother than the bridge challenge. From the teaching perspective it was a delight to see the communication and brainstorming step up a gear as they all rose to the challenge of building their boat.
The winning design will be mentioned my next post.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Paper Table (Part 1)
The Challenge:
You have 8 pieces of newspaper, a roll of sticky tape and your brain. The goal is to make table supports that must be at least 15cm high and able to support a MDF table top plus a textbook.
First comment about the challenge was "you can't make a table out of paper", in which the reply was 'Yes we can and hence the nature of this challenge is to do so".
Just to prove that some other things have been built out of newspaper the students were asked to match the year with an object or structure made out of paper. One of the building, a house, was originally built in 1922 out of 1" newspaper bricks and is still standing today, the one that really got them and myself was the 2007 paper battery that can power a light bulb!!
From the teaching perspective it was an interesting lesson today in that they forgot to adhere to the Design Process that we have been discussing and using for the last 2 weeks.
After observing the attempts to roll the newspaper sheets into tight cylinders I called a brief halt to remind them that they were operating in groups of 3 or 4 and that they required a plan - i.e. go back to the Design Process and determine the best course of action. The next 15 - 20 minutes were much more productive and we now have some very rough outlines of the structure to be built and an average of 3 newspaper tubes per group, and no Russ & Alex you cannot be 'just boys' and have a sword fight.
The home task is now to reflect on what worked, what didn't and to link the design process with the task more closely and to have a definite structural design and plan. Bring on the next lesson as the challenge is still on ..... I wonder if they feel up to building a bridge out of paper?
You have 8 pieces of newspaper, a roll of sticky tape and your brain. The goal is to make table supports that must be at least 15cm high and able to support a MDF table top plus a textbook.
First comment about the challenge was "you can't make a table out of paper", in which the reply was 'Yes we can and hence the nature of this challenge is to do so".
Just to prove that some other things have been built out of newspaper the students were asked to match the year with an object or structure made out of paper. One of the building, a house, was originally built in 1922 out of 1" newspaper bricks and is still standing today, the one that really got them and myself was the 2007 paper battery that can power a light bulb!!
From the teaching perspective it was an interesting lesson today in that they forgot to adhere to the Design Process that we have been discussing and using for the last 2 weeks.
After observing the attempts to roll the newspaper sheets into tight cylinders I called a brief halt to remind them that they were operating in groups of 3 or 4 and that they required a plan - i.e. go back to the Design Process and determine the best course of action. The next 15 - 20 minutes were much more productive and we now have some very rough outlines of the structure to be built and an average of 3 newspaper tubes per group, and no Russ & Alex you cannot be 'just boys' and have a sword fight.
The home task is now to reflect on what worked, what didn't and to link the design process with the task more closely and to have a definite structural design and plan. Bring on the next lesson as the challenge is still on ..... I wonder if they feel up to building a bridge out of paper?
Monday, 18 February 2013
Apollo Year 9
The program is now up and running, we have crossed one or two bridges since we started and will cross many more.
The students have been investigating what the fundamentals are for building any bridge over any gap/ravine/waterway.
For their homework tasks they have been playing a mathematical bridge building game which has had some amusing results. Some of the structures proposed I would hesitate in crossing, considering one seemed to collapse as the train moved across.
In addition they have been investigating the design process that underpins so much science and engineering.
The challenge this week will be to build a table or chair made out of newspaper.
The students have been investigating what the fundamentals are for building any bridge over any gap/ravine/waterway.
For their homework tasks they have been playing a mathematical bridge building game which has had some amusing results. Some of the structures proposed I would hesitate in crossing, considering one seemed to collapse as the train moved across.
In addition they have been investigating the design process that underpins so much science and engineering.
The challenge this week will be to build a table or chair made out of newspaper.
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