Acknowledgments
This education kit contains activities developed by program coordinators at Scienceworks.
Descriptions of the exhibits and some accompanying notes have been have been adapted from
material prepared by staff at Questacon. The Imagination Factory education program is produced
by Museum Victoria with support from Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development.
Writer: Amanda Rocchi
Illustrators: Lenna Angelovska, Sonia Singh
The exhibition Imagination Factory—Invent and Play was developed by Questacon—The National
Science and Technology Centre (Canberra) and is proudly supported by Raytheon.
Teachers may copy these materials for classroom use.
© Museum Victoria 2008
Scienceworks
2 Booker Street Spotswood, Victoria 3015
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/
Contents
Page
Teacher notes
(pdf)
2
Essential preparation: before your visit and on the day
3
Curriculum links
4
Exhibition notes
Summary of exhibits in Imagination Factory – Invent and Play
5
Exhibition floor plan
9
Glossary
10
Introductory Activities
13
Other Resources
15
Pathway A (Primary)
(pdf)
17
Pathway B (Secondary)
(pdf)
22
Background information
(pdf)
27
Concept Activities
(pdf)
37
Consolidation and Construction Activities
(pdf)
70
Inclined planes: Ramps, Wedges and Screws
Wheel and Axle, Levers, Pulleys
Gears, Cams, Pneumatic and hydraulic systems
Extra for Experts
Activities introducing simple machines
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1 Teacher notes
Imagination Factory – Invent and Play is a highly interactive, ‘hands on’ exhibition that showcases
simple machines. A large, whimsical, visitor-operated display demonstrates how simple machines
can be linked together to transfer and transform forces and energy. Over 20 exhibits demonstrate
the principles and applications of levers, wheels, pulleys, gears and cams. Aspects of pneumatics,
hydraulics and electricity also feature, along with Australian inventors and recent innovations. A
visit to this exhibition will enhance the teaching of topics such as simple machines, forces, energy,
engineering and inventions.
This kit is designed to assist teachers to get the most out of a visit to Imagination Factory by
providing exhibition information, activities for use in the science classroom and suggestions for
cross-curricular learning. It has been written for students in Years 3-10 and their teachers. You are
encouraged to modify and adapt activities to meet your students’ needs. Pathways A and B are
provided for students to use in the exhibition. Pathway A was designed to suit most primary
students and Pathway B for most secondary students. A Simple Machines science show and/or a free tour of the historic Pumping Station while at
Scienceworks is highly recommended. Simple machines also feature in the House Secrets
exhibition (particularly the kitchen), and others can be identified in Nitty Gritty Super City.
Imagination Factory – Invent and Play is at Scienceworks from Wednesday 25 June 2008 until
Sunday 3 May 2009. Bookings are essential: telephone 03 9392 4819. Our booking officer can also
help you to plan the rest of your excursion time at Scienceworks.
For more information on education programs, visit: http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/Education/
This corkscrew uses four types of simple machines to help remove the cork from a bottle:
a lever, rack & pinion gear, screw and wedge.
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2 Essential preparation
Before your visit
•
Check your confirmation letter to ensure that the details of your excursion are correct. If
there is a problem with your booking, please ring the Booking Office at Scienceworks on
9392 4819.
•
Ensure that you have explored the key ideas related to the exhibition with your students
before they view it.
•
Conduct some of the introductory or concept activities from this kit with your students,
selecting or adapting them to suit the needs of your cohort.
•
Visit Scienceworks and view the exhibition yourself. Subscribers to MVteachers receive
unlimited free general entry to Scienceworks, Melbourne Museum and the Immigration
Museum; however, a $5 surcharge applies for the Imagination Factory exhibition.
Join MVteachers online at: http://museumvictoria.com.au/Education/MVteachers/
•
Discuss with your students the purpose and structure of their visit and what tasks or
activities they are expected to be involved in during the course of the day. If you would like
the students to complete a Pathway sheet while they are viewing the exhibition, make sure
you photocopy and bring enough copies, along with clipboards and writing
materials.
•
Photocopy the exhibition floor plan for each student or group of students and briefly
discuss the different types of exhibits with them. The ‘Summary of Exhibits’ section of this
kit contains detailed descriptions of each exhibit and the key message that it
communicates.
•
Divide the students into small groups before you arrive to help them move around the
exhibition without crowding. Assure them they will have plenty of time (one hour) to
experience all of the exhibits.
On the day
•
All excursion supervisors will be given a map upon arrival. Make sure students are aware of
the locations of the toilets, amphitheatre (lunch space) and the exhibition galleries they are
booked into.
•
Your group will be allocated 60 minutes to spend in the exhibition space, during which time
they can complete their Pathway sheets or any other task you have set them.
•
Ask groups of students to begin their viewing at different points in the exhibition gallery to
avoid crowding around exhibits.
•
Try to arrive five minutes before the scheduled starting time of Planetarium, Lightning
Room, and Science shows so that students can be seated and settled in time.
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3 Curriculum Links
Many aspects of Discipline-based and Interdisciplinary Learning, Personal Learning &Interpersonal
Development can be incorporated into a unit on machines, inventions and technology.
Thinking
ICT
Design, Creativity
& Technology
Communication
Languages Other
Than English
Interdisciplinary
Learning
The Arts
Humanities
English
Mathematics
Discipline-based
Learning
Science
Civics &
Citizenship
Personal Learning
VELS LEVEL
Activities
Interpersonal
Development
Physical, Personal &
Social Learning
Health & Physical
Education
Victorian Essential
Learning Standards
INTRODUCTORY
Rube Goldberg machines
3-6
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Mousetrap
3-6
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Brainstorm - what is a
machine?
Leonardo’s mysterious
machines
The New Inventors
3-6
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3-6
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3-6
Classroom Inventors
3-6
Famous Inventors
3-6
What is it?
3-6
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CONCEPTS
Ramp It Up
3-6
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Thin End of the Wedge
3-6
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The Turn of the Screw
3-5
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Wonderful Wheels
3-5
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Wheels and Axles at
Work
The Law of the See Saw
Lifting the Load
3-5
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3-4
3-4
Location, Location,
Location!
Lever Launch
3-5
Pulley Tug of War
3-6
The Power of Pulleys
3-6
Getting into Gear
3-6
Gears in Action
3-6
Egg-cellent Gears
3-5
Gears – Wheely Good
Fun!
Pumping Pistons
5-6
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4-6
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Word Wall
3-4
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My Life as a Machine
3-5
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Simple Machines
Scavenger Hunt
Machine Mime
3-6
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CONSOLIDATION
3-6
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4-6
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Design and Build a Crazy
Machine
Machines Research
3-6
How Does it Work?
3-5
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CONSTRUCTION
All
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http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/Education/
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4 Exhibition Notes
Summary of exhibits in Imagination Factory – Invent and Play
Exhibit Name
Key Message
Exhibit Description
Lifting with Levers
Lifting a load becomes easier
when the effort is applied further
away from the fulcrum.
Levels of Levers
First, second and third-class levers Nine interactive lever models (three of
have the load, fulcrum and effort in each class) with cartoon animals
different positions. The effort
representing a load to be lifted.
required to lift the load varies
between levers.
Loads and Levers
Everyday examples of the three
classes of lever.
Pulley Power
A ‘block and tackle’ of connected Sit in a seat and use a rope and pulleys
pulleys can be used to lift a load. to lift yourself and the chair up. One
Using more pulleys reduces the
seat uses five pulleys, the other seven.
effort required; however, a greater
length of rope must be used.
Play with Pulleys
Record Player
Connecting different sized pulleys
with a belt can increase or
decrease how fast they turn.
Connect two belt drive pulley cassettes
to make a record play.
Play with Pulleys
Connecting different sized pulleys
with a belt can increase or
decrease how fast they turn.
Connect two belt drive pulley cassettes
to spin a mirror and make a cartoon
bird appear to fly.
Praxinascope
Lift a friend off the ground using a giant
lever. Pull down on each rope one at a
time, and note where it is easiest to lift
the load.
Information banner
The Power of
Pulleys
Pulleys can be used to lift a load. Information banner
Using more pulleys decreases the
effort required, but increases the
amount of rope that must be used.
Go Go Gears
Combining gears of different sizes Interlock a series of gears across a
spins objects at different speeds
table top to spin an illusion disc.
and with different force.
Experiment with combining different
sized gears.
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5 Summary of exhibits continued… Exhibit Name
Key Message
Exhibit Description
Gear Race
Combining gears of different sizes
spins objects at different speeds
and with different force.
Race a toy horse and a toy camel
using different sized gears. Choose
different combinations of gears to
determine who wins.
Diff with a
Difference
Differential gears allow car wheels
to travel at different speeds and
move around a bend in the road.
Turn a handle and observe how
separate gears and axles turn car
wheels. Hold one wheel still to see
how differential gears allow the other
wheel to keep turning.
Getting into
Gears
Gears can be used to magnify
force or movement. Different
types of gears can be found in
common household items.
Information banner
Amazing Air
Pneumatic pistons can shift items
(such as a table top) up and
down.
Four pneumatic pistons at each
corner of a tabletop maze can be
raised individually by pressing a
button. The maze tilts and a ball rolls
around the maze.
Manipulator
Demonstration of how hydraulic
and pneumatic pistons are used in
industrial machines and robotics.
Use joysticks to move a mechanical
arm’s elbow, fingers and shoulder.
Wave the hand or wiggle the fingers.
Pascal’s See Saw
Demonstration of Pascal’s
principle (pressure applied to a
fluid is transmitted through the
fluid).
A wide and a narrow piston are
connected via tubing. Push on each
one and compare the effort required
and the distance the other one
moves.
Pump it Up
Comparing height lifted (distance)
with effort required in raising the
same mass with different sized
pneumatic pistons.
Push down on the red pump to raise
two pistons (one narrow, one wide).
Each piston lifts the same mass to a
different height. Press the green
button to reset the exhibit.
Work Under
Pressure
Information on pneumatic and
hydraulic principles. Examples of
machines that use them.
Information banner
Wheel Racer
Tapered wheel shapes improve
movement around bends in a
curved track.
Roll differently shaped sets of wheels
along a winding or a straight track
and observe how well each shape
stays on the track.
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6 Summary of exhibits continued… Exhibit Name
Key Message
Exhibit Description
Weights and
Wheels
Placing mass at the edge of a
wheel makes it harder to spin, but
it will spin for a longer time.
Placing mass at the centre of a
wheel makes it easier to spin, but
it will spin for a shorter time.
Spin three wheels, each with their
mass arranged differently. Compare
the amount of effort needed to start
and stop them spinning.
Wheels and Axles
Wheels and axles can be used to
reduce friction, or as a simple
machine.
Information banner
Toying with Cams
Cams spin around to push
something else up and down in a
straight line. Differently shaped
cams produce different patterns of
movement.
Turn camshafts with different types of
cam discs to make a toy dog jump or
a caterpillar wriggle.
Crack the Cam
Lock
A combination lock is a more
unusual use for cams.
A see-through safe contains three
different coloured cam discs. Turn the
dial to line up notches in the three
cams with a bar and open the safe
door.
Crank the Engine
Crankshafts and camshafts work
together to operate pistons in an
engine.
A car engine has sections cut away
so its crankshaft, camshaft and piston
cylinders can be viewed. Turn the
handle to set them in motion.
Around, Up and
Down
Cams can be different shapes and
‘eccentric’ (threaded off centre).
Camshafts and crankshafts work
together in car engines and
sewing machines.
Information banner
Electric Face
Different sources of electricity
generate different voltages.
Select one type of generator or
source (batteries, power pack, solar
cell or hand crank) to animate a
cartoon face.
Dynamo
A model showing how dynamos
can generate an electric field.
Spin a magnet past an iron bar
wrapped in copper wire coils to
produce an electric current and
illuminate lights on a meter.
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7 Summary of exhibits continued… Exhibit Name
Key Message
Exhibit Description
Rock, Paper,
Switches
Electric circuits need to form an
enclosed loop before an appliance
will operate.
Two people press switches on
opposite sides of the exhibit to
complete an electric circuit and
choose a rock, paper or scissors icon.
To find out the result, press the ‘Who
won?’ button.
What’s
Electricity?
Generators, electric fields, the
movement of charges and the
latest in solar cell technology.
Information banner
Energy Machine
Simple machines can be
connected together to transfer and
transform energy.
Three visitor-operated egg elevators
transport eggs to a hatchery, an egg
sorting factory and a kitchen maze.
Wall Maze
Open ended experimental play to
build a ball run that is the longest,
quickest or steepest possible.
Sections of pipe with embedded
magnets can be lined up along a
magnetic wall and a ball rolled down
through the maze of pipes.
Topple Table
Open ended experimental play to
build the highest stable structure.
Wooden building blocks can be used
on either a flat or wobbling tabletop.
Peculiar Patents
Unusual inventions submitted to
the United States Patent Office.
Information banner
Everyday
Australian
Inventors
Eight stories of recent inventions
by Australians.
Information banner
How to be an
Inventor
Advice from two young Australian
inventors on how to develop your
idea.
Information banner
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8 Exhibition floor plan
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9 Glossary
Axle:
The rod or shaft attached to the centre of a wheel. The wheel turns and
places force on the axle.
Belt drive pulley:
Two fixed pulleys of different sizes connected together with a looped belt.
Things attached to the pulleys can also spin, such as record players and
washing machine tubs.
Block and tackle:
A system of pulleys connected via a rope. The block is the frame around the
pulleys. The tackle is the rope connecting the pulleys and the load. A block
and tackle is used in garages to lift engines from cars.
Cam:
A disc that is usually oval or egg-shaped, but can be any roundish-bumpy
shape that is attached to a rod called a camshaft. As the cam spins, the
bump pushes against the end of a rod, moving it in a straight line.
Camshaft:
Many cams threaded onto a rod or shaft. As the camshaft turns, the cams
push a series of rods or pistons up and down in a pattern. A camshaft
controls the opening and closing of valves in a car engine.
Cylinder:
A round pipe that contains a moving piston.
Effort:
The force (push or pull) applied to a machine so it does work, such as lifting
a load, travelling further forward or spinning something faster.
Engine:
A combination of simple machines that changes fuel (chemical) energy into
mechanical energy.
Energy:
Energy is the ability to do work. Energy can take several forms, including
heat, light, sound, kinetic (moving), and potential (stored) energy.
Force:
Forces are pushes or pulls which make an object change direction, come to
a stop or start moving. Force is measured in newtons (N).
Friction:
A force that occurs when two surfaces rub against each other, causing
objects in motion to slow down or stop. Friction causes energy to be lost as
heat.
Fulcrum
The point where a lever arm pivots or rotates.
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10 Gear:
A wheel with teeth around the edge, also called a cog. The teeth of one
gear interlock, or ’mesh’ with the teeth of another gear. Turning one gear
causes the second gear to turn. The gear being turned by the external force
is called the input, or driver gear. The gear being turned by the input gear is
called the output, or driven gear.
Gear ratio:
A comparison of the number of teeth of each gear. The gear ratio can be
used to calculate how fast gears will spin and how much force they will
generate.
Hydraulic:
Relating to water or other liquids. Hydraulic machines use liquid (usually oil)
under pressure to transfer force across a distance. Car brakes use
hydraulics to transfer force from the brake pedal to the brakes on each
wheel.
Inclined plane:
A flat surface with one end higher than the other. The simplest inclined
plane is a ramp. Wedges and screws are variations of the inclined plane.
Joule (J):
The unit used to measure energy. One joule is the work done by a constant
force of 1 newton when the object being worked on has moved 1 metre.
Kinetic energy:
Moving energy. Kinetic energy depends on both the speed and the mass of
an object.
Lever:
A simple machine consisting of a bar or rod that pivots about a point called
the fulcrum. Making the lever arm longer decreases the effort required to
shift the load.
Load:
The thing being lifted, pushed or pulled by a simple machine.
Newton (N)
A unit of force, named after the English scientist and mathematician Sir
Isaac Newton.
Pascal (Pa):
A unit of pressure, named after the French physicist and mathematician
Blaise Pascal.
Piston:
A moving rod inside a close fitting cylinder. Pistons are found at the ends of
hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
Pneumatics:
Relating to air or other gases. Pneumatic machines use compressed air (air
under pressure) to transfer force across a distance.
Potential energy:
Stored energy. Potential energy depends on both mass and position of an
object.
Power:
The rate at which work is done. Power is the work done divided by time
taken. Power can be measured in watts (W), kilowatts (kW or 1000 watts)
and megawatts (MW or 1 000 000 watts).
Pressure:
The amount of force applied over a certain area. Pressure increases if the
force is increased or the area under the force is decreased.
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11 Pulley:
A simple machine consisting of a wheel with a grooved outer edge and a
rope or string looped around it. Two or more pulley wheels usually have
ropes connecting them together to allow loads to be easily lifted.
Ramp:
An inclined plane that is the simplest of simple machines – as simple as a
plank of wood.
Screw:
A simple machine consisting of an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder
or wedge. Screws change a rotating force into a much larger up and down
force.
Sprocket:
Sprockets are wheels with teeth around their edges that are designed to
mesh with a chain. Sprockets are connected together by a loop of chain.
The teeth are inserted between the chain links and pull the chain along as
the sprockets turn. Bicycles use sprockets and a chain to transfer force from
the pedals to the rear axle.
Torque:
Torque is a turning force that changes the rotation of things. Levers and
wheels use torque to do work. Increasing the length of the lever arm or
increasing the force on the lever increases the torque force. Spanners use
torque to unscrew bolts. Longer spanners (a longer lever arm) can unscrew
bolts with less force than shorter spanners (shorter lever arms)
Wedge:
A simple machine consisting of two inclined planes placed back to back in a
triangular or ’V’ shape. Wedges change a small vertical force into a larger
horizontal force, or vice versa. Knives and your front teeth are examples.
Weight:
The force of gravity acting upon an object. Weight is calculated by
multiplying the mass of an object by the force of gravity and is measured in
newtons. In everyday language, we talk about weight in grams or kilograms,
however, this is more correctly known as mass.
Wheel and axle:
A simple machine consisting of a round disc with a rod called an axle
threaded through the centre. As the wheel turns, it places force on the axle
and the axle is able to do work.
Work:
Work is the force applied to an object multiplied by the distance that the
object moves. For work to be done, the object must move. Pushing on a
wall exerts a force on the wall, but unless the wall moves, no work is done.
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12 Introductory activities
The following are ideas for short exploratory or brainstorming activities to set the context of the
topic before viewing the exhibition.
Rube Goldberg Machines
Comical machines that take a large number of steps to perform a simple task (like cracking an egg
or switching on a light) are known as ‘Rube Goldberg’ machines (after the cartoonist and sculptor
of the same name). The official Rube Goldberg site (http://www.rubegoldberg.com/) contains
several drawings of his machines, with explanations of how they ‘work’. Students can examine
some drawings and try to describe the chain of events and energy transfers depicted, using a
combination of imagination and logic.
Mouse Trap board game
‘Mouse Trap’ is an example of a Rube Goldberg machine. Playing the game provides a hands-on
learning opportunity. Players take turns to connect together a dozen or so parts, that, when
activated, react in a domino-like way to bring down a cage on a mouse. Students could identify all
the simple machines present (including levers, inclined planes and gears) and describe the energy
transformations taking place.
Brainstorm – What is a machine?
If students are asked to list all the machines they can think of, they are likely to suggest complex
devices such as ‘computer’, ‘car’, ‘plane’, ‘washing machine’, etc. ‘Tool’ is a more familiar word that
can help guide their thinking towards examples of the simple machines in the exhibition. Questions
such as ‘What kinds of tools do we use in the kitchen or garden?’ and ‘How do they help us?’ could
be used.
Students could use dictionaries or the internet to look up the definition of ‘machine’, discuss, and
arrive at an agreed meaning. A broad working definition is ‘something we use to make doing a job
easier’. They could then classify their list of machines according to function (cutting, opening,
moving) and use their definition to decide whether certain objects such as a broom, tap or knife are
machines (these three all are – lever, wheel and axle, and wedge respectively). Later on, they
could regroup their list of machines according to which simple machines they contain.
Leonardo’s mysterious machines
Visit ‘The Inventor’s Workshop’ at: http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/InventorsWorkshop.html.
The ‘Mysterious Machinery’ link at the bottom of the page presents eight of Leonardo Da Vinci’s
drawings with options for students to guess what they might be. The ‘Visions of the Future’ link has
pictures of modern inventions and drawings of what Leonardo anticipated they might look like
hundreds of years before. The ‘Be Inventive’ activity contains some good challenges for students
to design their own machines.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/Education/
13 The New Inventors
Watch an episode of ABCTV The New Inventors (screens ABC1, 8pm Wednesdays with repeats of
previous series 1pm Tuesdays). The show features new devices and innovations on existing ones
developed by ordinary Australians of all ages, usually as a response to a problem of day to day life,
or a challenge to see how something could be improved.
Students can vote on the website http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/ for their favourite
invention of the episode by clicking on the ‘Inventions’ link. This also takes them to a list of all the
previous inventions and inventors featured on the show.
Classroom inventors
Students present an invention that they have researched, or devised and built themselves. They
present it to a panel of their peers for analysis (similar to what takes place on The New Inventors
show). Aspects to consider would include ease of use, consumer appeal and marketability.
Alternatively, the De Bono Thinking Hats might be used to consider different aspects. Other
thinking questions arising from this might be: What deserves to be called an ‘invention’? What is
the difference between an invention and an innovation?
Famous inventors
Students could research a famous inventor, such as: Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci,
Archimedes, Alexander Graham Bell, Benjamin Franklin, Jacques Costeau or Johan Gutenberg.
A comprehensive list featuring lesser known inventors is available at:
http://www.didyouknow.cd/people/inventors.htm
The research may take the form of a fact sheet, a slideshow presentation or an interview or role
play. The question ‘What is the difference between a scientist and an inventor?’ presents an
interesting opportunity for reasoning and discussion.
What is it?
Bring an unusual object, or a picture of one, to school.
Give teams of students a time limit within which to discuss the possibilities and present an answer.
Each episode of ABCTV Collectors (screens ABC1 Friday 8pm ABC2 Monday 6.05pm) features a
mystery object. Students can enter the competition to identify the following week’s object, visit:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/collectors/ .
The site http://www.neatorama.com/category/what-is-it/ has many photos of unusual objects, along
with explanations of what they actually are.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/Education/
14 Other Resources
Internet
http://www.howstuffworks.com/ Enter ‘pulley’, ‘camshaft’ or any other key word into the search
box to find clear explanations accompanied by good diagrams and some useful animations.
http://imaginationfactory.questacon.edu.au/education.html Extensive notes on the simple machines
featured in the exhibition and recent Australian innovations using simple machine technology.
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/100_years_of_innovations.html Comprehensive list of important
and unusual Australian innovations – a good starting point for research.
http://sunshine.chpc.utah.edu/javalabs/java12/machine/index.htm Online activities integrating
mathematics into the teaching of simple machines; can also be used to develop an understanding
of aspects of scientific method. Suitable for Years 9 -10 students.
http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/InventorsWorkshop.html Leonardo Da Vinci and his machine
designs in a historical and artistic context. Includes ’The Elements of Machines’ definitions and
’Gadget Anatomy’ activity to identify simple machines in everyday devices; for Years 5-9 students.
http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple%2Dmachines/ Web activity to identify simple machines in
various rooms of a house, guided by a friendly robot; includes worksheet (see Lesson Plans > Web
Quest), pre-test and post-test (see Teacher’s Guide) and useful glossary.
http://www.technologystudent.com/cams/camdex.htm Information on different kinds of mechanisms
using cranks and different types of cams, with ideas and instructions on how to make a cam toy.
http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/cur/simp-mach/instruction.htm Comprehensive set of primary lessons
on forces and simple machines incorporating literacy activities.
http://www.quia.com/quiz/110999.html?AP_rand=517518863 Short quiz on simple machines with
immediate feedback given; suitable for Years 5-8.
http://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/simple_machines/ Information on each simple
machines, with explanation of mechanical advantage and a quiz; suitable for Years 7-11.
Construction kits
The kits listed are available from educational suppliers such as Modern Teaching Aids (MTA),
Educational Experience or Haines Education and Learning. Cam art/craft and technology sell
individual scientific parts and equipment such as pulleys, gears, motors, force meters (spring
balances) syringes, tubing and cotton reels. Zart Art also supply construction materials and
consumables.
Lego Education
Simple Machines kits with accompanying Teacher Guides include: Levers, Gears, Pulleys and
Wheels and Axles. Larger kits, such as the Technology Resource Kit or the Mechanisms and
Motion Set can be used to build a variety of machines.
Duplo Simple Machines Set is recommended for younger students.
K’Nex Education
Three kits that introduce the Simple Machines to lower primary students are available: Levers and
Pulleys, Wheels and Axles & Inclined Planes, and Gears. Teacher guides are available.
Exploring Machines & Forces and Energy & Motion sets are larger, more comprehensive kits
designed for upper primary/lower secondary students.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/Education/
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Four kits cover a wide range of concepts, including Mechanisms, Structures, Pneumatics and
Robotics. These are: Junior (5+ years), Advanced (7+), Profi (9+) and Computing (10+).
Polydron
The Gears and Pulleys Set and the Machine Builder Set come with teacher notes and work cards.
Suitable for ages 7+
Gigo - Geartronix
This large kit is designed for teaching energy, force and simple machines to primary students.
Gigo also sell several construction kits that use air-power (pneumatics).
Quercetti
Chunky, brightly coloured Gear Kits designed to be easily manipulated by small hands.
Learning Resources
Gear Kits for children, some of which can be motorised.
Books
Macaulay, D. (1998) The new way things work. Dorling Kindersley, London.
An encyclopedia of straightforward explanations for all sorts of machines and inventions, with great
illustrations.
Eichelberger, B and Larson, C. Constructions for children: Projects in design technology.
Dale Seymour Publications.
A range of ideas for mechanical toys that can be made using everyday materials.
Ellyard, D. (2006) Who invented what when. New Holland Publishers, Sydney.
500 years of inventions presented chronologically. Details of the inventors life, their motivation and
the time they lived in help give a social context to the technology.
Langone, J. (1999) How things work: Everyday technology explained. National
Geographic, Washington.
Well illustrated explanations of everything from combustion engines to chainsaws to can openers.
Dunn, A. (1992) How things work series. Wayland Publishers, England.
Clear, accessible text for primary students; titles include: Lifting by Levers, The Power of Pressure,
Wheels at Work and Simple Slopes.
Cunningham, J and Herr, N. (1994) Hands on physics activities with real life applications.
Jossey-Bass Inc.
Includes explanations and demonstrations of a variety of physics topics for secondary teachers.
Videos
Simple Machines: A first look (18 mins) Discovery Education, available from Classroom Video.
Mechanical Systems: Combining simple machines (20mins), from Classroom Video.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Scienceworks/Education/
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