Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Detention...
We were in Steph's classroom again today. I am calling this the semi-finals of the Gravity Cruiser projects. The goal: get three runs in, with the longest distance (first and second) in each class going to the "finals" on Thursday.
The guys from GM will award a First, Second, and Third place for the entire grade... no "participation trophies." I think Steph's group will have a strong contender for the longest distance. We'll see how it plays out on Thursday.
While we were doing the semi-final distance runs, we continue to encourage the kids. Frankly, some of them "get it," and some don't. On each of the first place finishers in the different classes, I told them, "You are in first place. You can have three runs, but I would suggest you consider not changing anything, and only doing a second or third run if another team catches up to you." They all did additional runs.
"Why suggest they not keep trying for a better run, Jim?" Thanks for asking. At this late point, the fragile cars are all showing signs of being handled. They just need to hold together until Thursday. Any changes at this point, may actually decrease performance (the reason for all the previous testing).
A significant achievement: every single team in her classes had movement today. That hasn't always been the case: as we closed in on these semi-finals, some of the cars hadn't moved, or simply fell over (due to bad balance with the construction).
The "detention" part: no we didn't get in trouble. They were having a problem with the bells signaling end of class, and end of the day. We didn't get out before "the big rush." So, we sat in Steph's room until the crazy traffic moved on. It got real quiet in that room, with just Joan and me in there. ;-) Not that I was ever in detention when I was a kid... just joking about having to stay after school.
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2 comments:
I don't quite understand the "gravity cars"? A better explanation would be appreciated.
Thanks
Bill (the one who wanted to know if Izzy could come out to play when, many years ago we were in Chanute at the same time.
Hi Bill - Of course, we remember you! Hope all is well with you.
The Gravity Cruisers are vehicles constructed of a foam-core type of material, wood wheels, a string run to the drive axle from a lever (think: teeter-totter), with weight (50 pennies) on the other side of the lever. The weight pulls the string, which turns the drive axle. The car that runs the furthest distance is the winner. This science project teaches the kids teamwork (3 person teams), design, testing and refining the design. It is a 6 week long project. At the finals competition tomorrow, there will be a first, second, and third place "car." GM provides volunteers who also work with the classes, and will give the winners medals, like the Olympics. No "participation awards." The best designs and careful attention to eliminating drag will be the winners.
There are no "standard" designs. The students have seen what previous classes have done, but they are on their own to design the chassis, the tower for the lever, lever placement, size of wheels, etc. It is interesting to guide them through the process and see the discovery happen as they try different wheels and lever placement. They have to log what they are doing as the project progresses. Not every design change will be successful, but it will give them data... the idea is to learn what works, what doesn't, and how to apply the knowledge gained from each change.
The kids get into it. I think this is the 4th year that Joan and I have been working with them on their Gravity Cruisers.
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