Harnessing the Wind
Students will build a wind turbine using recyclable materials (or RAFT kits) and learn about the role of a generator in transforming the kinetic energy into electrical energy.
Mini Grand Prix
Students will build a car using recyclable materials (or RAFT kits), trace the energy transformations happening in the process, and race them!
Catapults -Conducting Fair Tests to Guide the Engineering Design Process
The main objective of the lesson is to provide 4th grade students with an opportunity to experience the engineering design process.
Calculation-based Engineering Design Applied to a Spring-Powered Mechanism
This lesson is designed for the Gunn HS engineering/robotics class or similar (e.g. a Project Lead the Way capstone course). The lesson demonstrates the use of mathematical simulation in design decisions, specifically designing a launch mechanism based on mechanical springs.
Conservation of Energy and Organics Photovoltaic Research
In this activity, students will learn that energy changes from one form to another, and that the total amount of energy in a closed system remains constant.