INVENTING MACHINES
4—7
REVERSE ENGINEERING! STUDENTS WILL TAKE APART A VACUUM CLEANER HEAD TO FIND THE SIMPLE MACHINES INSIDE AND WIRE A SIMPLE CIRCUIT. ALONG THE WAY, THEY’LL PONDER WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN INVENTOR
30 students maximum
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE INVENTING MACHINES WORKSHOP?
KEYWORDS:
Your students will try out two key parts of the invention process. They’ll reverse-
engineer a vacuum cleaner head to investigate how it works and consider the decisions made by the inventor. They’ll tinker with simple materials to determine for themselves some of the science of electric circuits.
Turbine
CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: MAGNIFICENT FLYING MACHINE
Screw
A key part of inventing is testing, changing and re-testing your design. Warm up your invention skills by building and modifying a flying toy.
DURATION:
50 minutes
GRADE
Machine
Simple Machine
Gear
Screwdriver
Battery
Light Emitting Diode (LED)
Conductor
Insulator
Circuit
CURRICULUM LINKS
WHAT YOU NEED:
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Magnificent Flying Machine template and instructions
resources.scienceworld.ca/make-take/magnificent-flying-machine
Thin cardboard from a cereal box, file folder or something similar
Two drinking straws for each flying machine, one larger in diameter than the other
Stapler, tape and scissors
1.
2.
3.
WHAT TO DO:
Follow the instructions to build a basic flying machine.
Experiment with different positions of the ailerons and elevators (wingandtailflaps).
Create a modified or “improved” flying machine to suit one of these challenges:
flies far and straight, loops, flies in a circle. You can add weight, change the shape of the
wings, modify the launcher, or make any other modification.
MORE ABOUT MACHINES AND ELECTRICITY AT
TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE
Eureka! Mitchell Odyssey Foundation Gallery: Giant Lever, Lift Yourself, Triple
Pendulum, Wheels, Vancouver Flyer, Electric Hands, Plasma Ball
Our World: BMO Sustainability Gallery: Electrical Energy exhibits
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
The Way Things Work by David Macaulay (Dorling Kindersley, 1998) (reverse engineering)
Inventing Toys by Ed Sobey (Zephyr, 2002)
makezine.com/ (a magazine for those who love to tinker)
James Dyson Foundation Science World website
jamesdysonfoundation.com/scienceworld/
Grade 5: Physical Science
(Simple Machines)
Grade 6: Physical Science
(Electricity)
To request a complete Field Trip Guide or enquire about other programs for schools, please contact our Sales Office
phone: 604.443.7500 fax: 604.443.7431 email: [email protected] web: scienceworld.ca