Paper Mache Astronomy

When we first started reading the Astronomy SBG, we immediately decided we want to do a huge art project that can include all 4 parts of the grading scale! Our biggest goal right now is to make a large, rotating, paper mache Earth to demonstrate all of this.

• We plan to have 4 different back drops with the different constellations of stars and seasons.
• Along with those backdrops we want to show the placement of each planet and its relation to the sun.
• We will have each planet and our moon in place according to the placement of the Earth. We plan to use a flashlight to help explain both a lunar and solar eclipse, the phases of the moon, and why we have day and night.

This is just a simple explanation of what we have in mind. We have many ideas that are coming together to form something BIG.... seriously.... we are going BIG. :) Keep in tune and see what we come up with!!!

Water Wheel Generator

We spent the day preparing ideas for building our water wheel and generator on Wednesday. We came up with a supply list and a more detailed concept of how our machine will work and what supplies we would need to get the most out of our project.

Generator Supplies:

4 1x2x5 ceramic magnets

1 #30 magnet wire (200ft)

1 mini lightbulb

1 piece of cardboard 8cm x 30.4cm

1 large nail

Water Wheel Supplies:

Bike wheel

Plastic shot glasses

Large tub

(Supply list subject to change upon experimentation.)

Example Videos:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Sz8oT8ou0&feature=player_embedded#!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KtFZMN7_Bw

Objective: Move 2 Beans 3m Using a Pulley System

Drawn Pulley System Idea

Step By Step:

1. Tape two wooden sticks and one plastic straw to the table, with the plastic straw placed in the middle of the two wooden sticks.

2. Place a spool of thread on each wooden stick.

3. Pull thread from spool 2(right) and wrap it once around the plastic straw then connect and tape it to the end of spool 1 (left).

4. Pull thread from spool 1 and tape the end of it to one of the paper cups.

5. Take a separate 3m piece of thread and attach one end to the outside of spool 2 and the other end to a paper cup.

6.Fold a 1" piece of tape around the end of the wooden sticks and also the plastic straw. (These will be used as "stoppers" to keep the thread from falling.)

7. Place the beans in the paper cup on the right.

8. Finally, we add the marbles to the left cup, making a counter weight system. The weight being added to the left side will act as a motor and cause the pulleys to rotate, winding the thread and making the right cup holding the beans move upward 3m.

First Set up and Trial

The first trial worked but with some minor difficulties. For our second set up we used a table top slightly higher than the one in the picture above. We also attached fishing line from the cup on the right to spool 2 in place of the thread to prevent tangling as it winds up.

 Final Set Up


 Lights... Camera... Action!

  

As you can see, the beans in the cup were able to be moved 3m using our pulley system design. :)