Engineering Competitions and STEM. STEM Content: Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Where is Engineering in Ontario’s curriculum? Engineering.

Engineering Competitions and STEM

STEM Content:

• Science

•Technology

•Engineering

•Mathematics

Where is Engineering in Ontario’s curriculum?

Engineering Competitions and STEM

STEM Process:

• Collaboration

•Creativity

•Communication

•Critical Thinking

AKA 21st Century Skills

Engineering Competitions and STEM

STEM Solution:

• Engineering Design (Interdisciplinary Studies, IDC 3O and IDC 4U)

• Motivation through competitions

• Learning through hands-on problem-solving in groups.

Engineering Competitions and STEM

STEM Support:

•http://roberta.tevlin.ca/Engineering%20Contests/Engineering%20Contests.htm

•[email protected], [email protected]

• TDSB Exploration classrooms in January and April

• Come and visit.

Engineering Competitions and STEM

Hovercrafts

•Focus: Improved experimentation through controlling variables

• Communication: Writing Using the Four C’s

• Content: weight, pressure, area, friction, air resistance, elasticity, flow rate, conservation of energy, investigation skills

Writing using the Four C’s Name _________________________

How can you use one balloon inside another help your hovercraft go farther?

Correct: If the answer contains information that is wrong, mark that with an X.

Complete: The answer should include the essential points. Mark a check mark.

Concise: If there is irrelevant information, repetition or wordiness, draw a line through it.

Clear: If you are not quite sure what they mean – add question marks.

What are the two or three key points that are needed to make a complete answer?

1) The result of another balloon inside each other creates more pressure. Increased pressure will exert upon the base creating more lift, thrust, and leave less dead air space. The faster the air leaves, the faster it will travel and greater lift will minimize the friction between the base and ground.

4) One balloon instead another can improve hovercraft distance because the air pressure is increased. With an increased air pressure, there can be an increase in mass which can result in an increase of momentum and consequently an increase in distance.

Cartesian Divers

• Focus: Optimizing design through physical principles

• Communication: Writing using Scrambled Science

• Content: pressure, volume, density, buoyancy, weight, perimeter to area ratio, investigation skills

1)Gases can be compressed easily but liquids cannot 2)Water is most dense at 4o C. 3)Adjust the amount of air in the dropper.4)Choose a bottle that has a smooth shape with a circular cross-section.5)Increased pressure in the bottle can do several things. 6)The dropper will be heavier if more water is in it. 7)Squeezing the bottle reduces the volume of the bottle.8)The density of air is much less than that of water.9)The dropper should float with the tip just barely sticking out of the water.10)Fluids move from regions of high pressure to low pressure. 11)Fill the bottle to the very top with water. 12)Reducing the volume of a gas increases the pressure.13)An object will sink if the density of the object is greater than the surrounding fluid.14)The density of gases changes more with temperature than the density of liquids.15)Choose a dropper that sinks when filled with water and floats when filled with air.

Barges

• Focus: Optimization using measurement, calculation and Excel.

• Collaboration: Using diagrams, calculations , words and models.

• Content: pressure, volume, density, buoyancy, surface tension, balance, center of mass, precision, investigation skills

Contest 1: You will create a rectangular barge from a rectangular piece of cardboard and predict the maximum number of 10-g masses that it can float. You are allowed to use as many staples as you wish but nothing else. You may cut, but be sure that everyone in the group agrees to this before any cutting is done because it can’t be undone!

a) On the rectangle below left, indicate where you will cut with a solid line ____ and where you will fold with a dashed line - - - - . Label the dimensions of the boat on the diagram.

b) In the space above right, sketch a top view of what the boat will look like. Indicate what you will do with the extra material in the corners and where you will staple.

d) Calculate the volume of the boat.

e) How many masses will you place in the barge? Explain.

f) What was the maximum number of masses? What could you have done better?

2) Use Excel to find the best volume for cardboard that is 14.5 cm by 7.2 cm. a) Explain how to do this by showing what should be typed into each cell.

b) What is the maximum volume and the height for this cardboard?

c) Why do you limit the increases in height to 0.1 cm?

A B C D

1 h L W V

2 0.2 = 14.5 – 2* A2 = 7.2 – 2*A2 =A2*B2*C2

3 = A2 + 0.1

Hot Air Balloons

• Focus: Designing and constructing precisely to the design.

• Collaboration: Self and Peer Evaluation

• Content: density, temperature, gas laws, flow rate, heat transfer, surface to volume ratio, drag, weight, investigation skills

Job Descriptions: Which one or two descriptions fits each member best?

Dictator: Has strong opinions and doesn’t always listen to others.Leader: Is able to recognize abilities in others and get them to join in.Manager: Is able to recognize what needs to be done and when.Artisan: Is very skilled when working with materials.Engineer: Understands the physical principles. Has good design ideas.Mathematician: Calculates accurately and quickly.Social Convenor: Understands people’s needs, helps the team get along.Independent: Will choose a task and get it done on their own.Willing Worker: Asks for instructions and follows them.Laborer: Will follow detailed instructions.Gadfly: Means well but is often off task.Drone: Won’t work unless he is shamed, paid or forced to.Absent: Wasn’t present for most of the work.

Task Descriptions: Assign each of the following tasks 5 marks. This gives a total of 40. Assign each member his or her share of these 40 marks.

Bought/Brought materials

Chose radius, # of pieces (Engineer)

Did calculations for design (Mathematician)

Drew panels

Cut panels

Cut tape

Stuck panels together (Artisan)

Cleaned up

Speed Boats

• Focus: Optimizing using physical principles

• Critical Thinking : Using multiple-choice to focus discussion.

• Content: buoyancy, thrust, drag, cross-sectional area, balance, terminal velocity, current, voltage, investigation skills

1) Which one or two will have the best side-to-side balance? Explain.

2) Which one or two will have the best front to back balance? Explain.

3) Which one or two will travel straightest? Explain.

4) Which one or two will have to push the least water out of the way? Explain.

5) Which of the three designs should you choose? Explain

AB

C

Elastic Powered Cars

• Focus: Efficiency through understanding physical principles.

• Critical thinking: Using multiple-choice to evaluate.

• Content: weight, friction, elastic energy, conservation of energy, work, mechanical advantage, investigation skills

1) You want to increase good friction by having heavya) axles, wheels b) bodies, wheels c) bodies, axles, d) all three 2) Good tire material isa) white plastic b) grey plastic c) black rubber d) all three 3) The beams must be kept parallel. This is best done witha) bushings b) bricks c) beams d) plates 4) Good axles area) black b) straight c) long d) all three 5) The large diameter, thin wheels are best because theya) are heavier so there is more good friction b) are narrow so there is more good friction c) have less bad friction per metre d) have more good friction per metre

6) In these contests you wanted a) lots of friction between the wheel and floor, little friction between the axle and bodyb) Lots of friction between the wheel and floor, lots friction between the axle and bodyc) little friction between the wheel and floor, little friction between the axle and bodyd) little friction between the wheel and floor, lots friction between the axle and body

7) The distance between the drive axle and fixed end of the elastic should bea) a bit less than the relaxed length b) a bit more than the relaxed length c) a bit less than the length of the car d) a bit more than the length of the car 8) A longer car can be better than a short car because it willa) be lighter b) be heavier c) curve less d) be stronger 9) You should wind the elastic while pulling it taut because this increasesa) force b) tension c) consistency d) number of turns 10) To win these contests you should be good atbuilding precisely, doing experiments, calculating accuratelychoosing materials, doing experiments, calculating accuratelychoosing materials, choosing designs, calculating accuratelychoosing materials, choosing designs, building precisely 11) Gears should not be used becausea) it is an even trade off of force and turns b) it takes too long to build properlyc) it adds bad friction d) it adds good friction