Engineering Competitions and STEM
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/Engin
eering%20Contests/Engineeri
ng%20Contests.htm
•roberta@tevlin.ca,
roberta.tevlin@tdsb.on.ca
• TDSB Exploration classrooms
in January and April
• Come and visit.
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.
A
B
C
D
1
h
L
W
V
2
0.2
= 14.5 – 2* A2 = 7.2 – 2*A2
3
= A2 + 0.1
=A2*B2*C2
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?
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
Cleaned up
(Artisan)
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
B
A
C
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
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 heavy
a) axles, wheels
b) bodies, wheels c) bodies, axles,
d) all three
2) Good tire material is
a) white plastic
b) grey plastic
d) all three
c) black rubber
3) The beams must be kept parallel. This is best done with
a) bushings
b) bricks
c) beams
d) plates
4) Good axles are
a) black
b) straight
c) long
d) all three
5) The large diameter, thin wheels are best because they
a) 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 body
b) Lots of friction between the wheel and floor, lots friction between the axle and body
c) little friction between the wheel and floor, little friction between the axle and body
d) 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 be
a) 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 will
a) be lighter
b) be heavier
c) curve less
d) be stronger
9) You should wind the elastic while pulling it taut because this increases
a) force
b) tension
c) consistency
d) number of turns
10) To win these contests you should be good at
building precisely, doing experiments,
calculating accurately
choosing materials,
doing experiments,
calculating accurately
choosing materials,
choosing designs, calculating accurately
choosing materials,
choosing designs, building precisely
11) Gears should not be used because
a) it is an even trade off of force and turns
c) it adds bad friction
b) it takes too long to build properly
d) it adds good friction