Car Down Ramp
What is the difference between the way the back wheels are connected and the front
wheels are connected? Why should the wheels go on so that the yellow hub is closest to
the beam?
Project 1: Make the ramp by putting two 2 by 4 blocks together at one side of the green
plate and turning it upside down. Place the car so that it is exactly even with the edge and
let go. How far does the car go? Squeeze the wheels on the axle close to the sides of the
car. How far does the car travel now? Move the wheels apart about a millimeter from
the sides of the car. How far can the car travel now? Replace the 2 by 4 plates with 1 by
4 plates. Notice the car can be more of a non-rectangular parallelogram now. With the
car a bit non-rectangular how far does the car travel? Write about the reason plates that
are 2 studs wide are used with wheels and axles. Make a car that goes farther than these
cars go. Draw a picture of a car you made.
Build a car that is powered by strain energy of a rubber band.
Note: The gear in the back is used only as a catch for the rubber band to help it start
wrapping around the axle. The bushing on the axle at the very front it to loop the rubber
band around.
Questions:
How does the length or width of rubber band change how far the car can travel?
Why does having the rubber band come loose when it unwinds help the car continue to
travel? What is inertia?
A motor can be used as a generator. It is necessary to gear up by a factor of 25.
Mystery Object W
Procedure: Looking at the back, front, left and right views only build the mystery object.
See parts for pieces. Note that there are enough for two students per MISS
ADVENTURE SET (Motorized Simple Machine sets).
Project 2: Building by turns with verbal feed back.
Working in pairs each student has the exact same pieces as the other. Arrange your
selves so that you can hear each other but not see the others pieces or building area.
(Suggestions are to sit back to back or have a book or folder between each pair.
First person picks a piece, explains which it is and where it is being placed. Second
person does the same (with out peeking). Second person chooses a piece builds it on the
project and describes the position. First person builds the same thing. (No looking.) In
doing this project be sure to ask questions to be sure you have the pieces in the exact
same place and direction.
Keep alternating being the chooser and describer and being the one that follows
instructions for where the piece goes until all the pieces are used. Then look at each
other's object and see who many pieces are in the same place.
Project 3: Do the same as above but this time one the person whose turn it is to pick,
place and describe gets to talk. No questions. No feed back. After all the pieces are
placed look at each other's objects and see how many pieces are in the same places.
Write up which ways works the best for you - just seeing flat instructions, hearing and
asking questions, or just hearing.
Draw the Mystery object from the top.
Project 4: Place a wheel vertically on the 2 by 4 block and knock it by turning the round
brick. Measure the distance it traveled away from the starting spot before stopping.
Repeat for a total of 7 times. Find the average distance. Plot all the averages for each
person in the class. Which distance was the most frequent? What was the average for the
class?
Project 5: Estimate how many studs (the bumps on top of the LEGO bricks, beams, and
plates). How many were there actually? To build horizontally to vertically it takes two
plates between to beams to match up the holes. How many plates high is a beam?