make an elevator science fair project

7/24/2019 Make an Elevator Science Fair Project

1/3

Find projects quickly Search for projectshome about us forums news periodic compare

Top Ten Projects

Candle Race

Home-Made Glue #1

Osmosis

Floating Balloon

Volcanic Gas

Water pH

Accelerate Rusting

Mentos Soda Volcano

Vibrating Coin

Musical Bottles

Latest ProjectsSweet Erosion

Your Planetary Age

Candle Race

Exploding Ziploc

Dehydrated Potato

Homemade Windmill

Want to contribute?

Do you have a Science Fair Project of your

own that you would like to see added to our

listings? If so, please submit it! One of our

staff members will review your project. If its

accepted, it will show up on our homepage

and be listed in our directory permanently. Itmay even make our featured science project!

So, what are you waiting for? Submit your

project now!

Make An Elevator

Purpose

To demonstrate how elevators work through a series of pulleys by constructing

our own elevator system.

Additional information

Elevators are vertical lift transportation systems that effectively move people

between floors of buildings. Most are powered by eclectic motors that pull steel

cables along pulleys.

The first known reference to an elevator comes from the Roman architect

Vitruvius. He reported that mathematician and inventor Archimedes built the

first elevator in 236 B.C. Elevators in this time period were mentioned to have been constructed

from hemp rope and powered by hand or animals. Prototypes of elevators were later found in

palaces of both England and France.

By the middle of the 1800's, there were dozens of crude elevators that were designed to carry

both freight and human. These ancient elevators worked through hydraulic systems, the first

every using a plunger below the elevator car to raise or lower it. To assist in lifting the enormous

weight of the elevator, a counter-balancing system was implemented.

Sponsored Links

Required materials

Piece of plywood (or other suitable hard surface wood)

Six empty spindles

A cardboard box (we'll use this to create our small elevator)

String or thread

Six nailsA small weight, such as a heavy screw

Tape

Scissors

Ruler

Pen or Pencil

Hammer

Estimated Experiment Time

Between 1 and 2 hours

Step-By-Step Procedure

1.First we'll need to construct our tiny elevator car from the cardboard box. Using your rulerand pen, draw five six-inch by six-inch squares on your cardboard box. Cut the squares from

the box with your scissors. Tape the squares in a manner that will make an open box. Do this

by aligning the squares at their edges and joining them together with some tape. Once

complete your elevator should look like the example in Figure A.

2.Attach the spindles to the wooden frame using the nails. The spindles should be aligned sothat four are spread evenly at the top of the wood, about four inches apart for each spindle.

Two additional spindles should be placed at the bottom of the box, also four inches apart. See

Figure B as a placement guideline.

3.Tie a piece of string to the bottom of your cardboard elevator car. Tie two additional stringsto the top of your elevator car. See Figure A for an example.

4.Pass the string attached to the bottom of the elevator car over the spindles 4, 3, 2, and 1.When you get to spindle 2, loop the string over the spindle twice. Tie the end of string to the

string on the top of the box once it loops over spindle 1 (see Figure B).

5.Attach the other string on the top of the elevator car around spindles 5 and 6. Make surethe string lays over the spindles tightly and attach your counterweight (a large nut, screw,

heavy key, or any other weight that's appropriate).

6.Make sure all strings are tight and all spindles are firmly in place.

7.Turn the second spindle with your fingers (labeled 2 in the Figure B). What happens to theelevator car? If constructed correctly, the elevator car should move up or down, depending on

the direction you rotate the spindle.

Science Fair Adventure Home / Science Project Details

Share Rate VideosEmail

ke An Elevator Science Fair Project http://www.sciencefairadventure.com/Make_An_Elevator.aspx

3 14-02-2016 12:14


2/3


3/3

make an elevator science fair project

Documents