Materials to Make Swingers

• 2 Strings, 50cm• 2 Paper clips• 2 Pennies• 2 Pencils• 1 Meter tape

* Masking tape* How to Build a

Swinger sheet

Vocabulary

Pendulum A mass hanging from a fixed point that is free to swing back and forward

Experiment

• How many times do you think your swinger will swing in 15 seconds?

• How can you find out?

Standardize the Counting Cycle

• When the swinger is released, the swinger will swing away and then come back

• This is one Cycle

• Need to count each time the swinger comes back close to the point from which it was released.

What could you change in your swinger system that might change the number of

swings in 15 seconds?

• number of pennies

• release position

• length of swing

• Push the swinger as you release it.

• Blow on it.

VocabularyVariable anything that you can change in an experiment that might affect the outcome

Pendulum a mass hanging from a fixed point that is free to swing to and fro

Cycle any motion or activity that repeats itself

What can you think of that

swings?

• old clock• museum• playground swing• metronome• ponytail• birdhouse• leaf on a tree

Content/Inquiry Chart

• What is a variable?

• What is a pendulum and where have you seen one?

• What variables might affect the number of cycles the pendulum makes in 15 seconds?

Science Stories

• What Scientist Do?

MaterialsPart 2: Testing Variables

For Each Group• 2 Swingers• 2 Strings, different

lengths* 2 Pencils* 4 Pennies• 1 Meter tape

For the Class* Scissors* Masking tape* Clock or watch with

second hand• Swingers number

line

Standard Pendulum

• Review the three variables that they thought might affect the number of swings of a pendulum.

• Review the setup for the pendulum -38 cm long, one, penny, released straight out to the side for 15 seconds. This is called a standard pendulum system. (record this in your journal)

What is an experiment?

• An experiment is an investigation designed to find out how variables affect outcomes.

• An experiment in which one variable is changed and the outcome is compared to a standard is a controlled experiment.

Test the Variable of Release Position

How do you think this new release position will affect the number of

swings?

More swings? Fewer swings?

Same number?

If we change the angle

Change the angle

The number of swings will

angle

Test the Variable of Mass

How do you think adding mass to the pendulum bob will affect the

number of swings?

More swings? Fewer swings?

Same number?

The effect of mass on the number of swings

If we increase mass

The number of swings will:

Pennies

Test the Variable of Length

How do you think changing the length of the pendulum will affect

the number of swings?

More swings? Fewer swings?

Same number?

Materials for Variable length

• Each group will be given an envelope with different lengths of strings

• Handout – Swingers Picture Graph – each person

• Use the meter tape make the swinger the same way we made the standard swinger

Length Number of Swings

______________________________________________

200 cm

170 cm

120 cm

90 cm

70 cm

55 cm

Is there a relationship between the length of the pendulum and the number of swings

a pendulum makes in 15 seconds?

• The longer the pendulum, the ____the swings.

• The shorter the pendulum, the _____the swings.

• The greater the number of swings, the _____the pendulum.

• The fewer the number of swings, the _____ the pendulum.

Content/Inquiry Chart

• Which variables made no difference in the number of swings?

• Which variable did make a difference in the number of swings?

• What variables might affect the number of cycles the pendulum makes in 15 seconds?

Project Folder

• As students come up with questions or ideas that suggest further investigation, you will ask them to write the idea on a piece of paper, which you will keep in a class folder.

• This will be a resource for students at the end of the module when they are choosing a project to investigate on their own.

Two-Coordinate Graph• The x-axis (along the bottom) is reserved

for the independent variable.

• What did I know before the experiment started?

• The y-axis (along the side) is reserved for the dependent variable.

• What did I find out as a result of doing the experiment?

Two coordinate graph

• Read the t-table on the Swingers Picture graph to find the length and number of swings of the first swingers

• Find the number along the (x axis) horizontal line that represents the length of the first swinger

• Run your finger up that line until you come to the horizontal line representing the number of swings made by the first swinger

• Make a pencil dot on that intersection• Repeat the procedure for the rest of the swingers

Content/Inquiry Chart

• How can you predict how many swings an 80-cm pendulum will make in 15 seconds?

Word bank

• Two-coordinate graph- shows the outcome of a series of experiments when a variable is changed by steps.

Read Science Stories

• Swinging through History?

Part 1: Exploring Boats

• What are lifeboats and how are they used?

Materials for Exploring Boats

• 6 paper cups• Sponge• 2 books• Pencil• Permanent marking

pens• Scissors• 50 Pennies- 1983-later

• 1 Meter tape• 2 Plastic cups• 1 Syringe 50ml• 1 Basin• Variable Journal• Student Sheet #8• Student Sheet #9

How many passengers can your lifeboat hold before it sinks?

• Test your boat• In your journal write a

list of variables that might affect the number of passengers supported by their boat.

Identify Variables

• Boats of slightly different size.

• Distribution of passengers in the boat.

• Gentle versus reckless placement of passengers.

• Condition of the sea.

Variable of the boat

• How could you check the variable of boat size to find out if in fact all the boats are identical?

Vocabulary

• The greatest amount of fluid a container can hold is its capacity.

Capacity

• Using the handout Measuring Lifeboat Capacity measure the capacity of your 3cm boat

Construct Four New Boats

• All new boats should be a different size.

• No shorter than 2 cm

• No taller than 4 cm

• Name each boat.

• Find the capacity of each boat.

• Write the name and capacity of each boat on its side.

Part 2: Lifeboat Inspection

• In a controlled experiment, all of the variables are controlled, or kept constant, except one, so that the experimenter can observe the effect of that one variable on the experimental outcome.

• You will conduct controlled experiments to find out how the variable of capacity affects the number of passengers a lifeboat can hold.

Standard

• Place pennies gently.

• Place pennies evenly.

• Don’t shake the basin.

• Dry pennies.

• Place the pennies with heads up.

Independent and Dependent Variables

• If you wanted to make a graph of the results of your lifeboat experiment, what are the two variables you would graph?

• Which variable did you know before the experiment started, the size of your boats or the number of passengers they hold?

• The independent variable goes on the x-axis.• The dependent variable goes on the y-axis.

Content/Inquiry Chart

• Is there a relationship between the capacity of lifeboats and the number of passengers they hold?

Part 3: Inspecting Other Boats

• In a controlled experiment, all of the variables are controlled, or kept constant, except one, so that the experimenter can observe the effect of that one variable on the experimental outcome.

• You will conduct controlled experiments to find out how the variable of capacity affects the number of passengers a lifeboat can hold.

Review Variables/Content Inquiry

• Which boat held the greatest number of passengers?• What variables make it possible for a boat to hold

lots of passengers?• What variables did you have to control?• What is the relationship between the capacity of the

boat and the number of passengers it can hold.• If you had a new boat, could you use your graph to

predict how many passengers it could hold?

Swap Fleets

• Record your results in part 3 of the Lifeboat Inspection sheet

Content/Inquiry Chart

• How were you able to predict the number of passengers a new boat would hold?

• Did any results surprise you? If so, what do you think happened?

Content/Inquiry Chart

• What variables might affect the number of passengers (pennies) a paper-cup boat can hold?

Exploring Flight-Materials

1-Foss Plane Construction Sheet

1-Jumbo Straw

1-Super Jumbo Straw

1-Propeller

1-Hook

1-Rubber Band

1-Sandpaper Piece

• 2-Craft Sticks• 1-Scissors

Part I: Exploring Flight

• The FOSS plane flies along a piece of fishing line called a flight line.

• The FOSS plane and the flight line together are called the FOSS plane system.

Conduct Test Flights

• If you had a piece of fishing line, could you get your plane to fly the entire length of the line?

Additional Materials

• 1- Fishing line 4 meters long

• 2- Chairs

• Duct tape (to attach to back of chairs)

• 1 Zip lock bag

• Placing your chairs avoid other groups or traffic flow.

Flight Challenges

• Get your FOSS plane to fly.

• Fly your plane the entire length of the line.

• Figure out the minimum number of winds needed to fly your plane the length of the line.

Flight Logs

• Airplane pilots keep records of every flight in a logbook. Pilot record information such as date, time, weather, number of passenger, mass of cargo, elevation and performance of the aircraft.

• Handout – FLIGHT LOGS

Fly Halfway

• How many winds of the propeller do you think it would take to fly your plane halfway down the line?

Think of Additional Variables

• mass

• rubber bands

• slope of the line

• tension of the line

• propeller changes

• lubricants

• fan (wind shear)

Plan Variable Experiment

• Select a variable that can be change step-by-step.

• Choose a standard number of winds to put on the propeller for all of the experiments from this point on.

• Measure the distance the unmodified plane will go when flown with the standard number of winds.

• Get the materials needed to conduct the experiment.

Is there a relationship between the variable you

investigated and the flight of your plane?

Investigation 4: Flippers

• Part I: Assemble Flip Sticks

Materials for Flipper System

• Corks

• rubber stoppers

• extra craft stick for pressing down on the flip stick

Explain

• When you were flipping corks and rubber stoppers, did they always fly the same distance?

• Discuss the reasons for the different outcomes.

Control One Variable - Mass

• Prepare 2 aluminum balls.

• One is made from a piece is 20 cm long.

• The other is made from a piece10 cm long.

Meet the First Challenge

• How high can you flip your aluminum ball?

• Describe how you set up your flipper system to achieve the highest flip.

Meet the Second Challenge

• How far can you flip your aluminum ball?

• Describe your setup of the flipper system when you achieved the greatest distance.

Describe the Standard Launch

• Launch angle - O (flat)

• Position - launch object between the two short sticks.

• Object - large foil ball.

• Flip - stick position-all the way in.

• Energy - flip stick depressed all the way.

Investigate Spacers, Stick Length, or Angles

• Spacers. Pennies are used for spacers.

• Flip Stick Length. The flip stick can be adjusted from 0 cm (all the way in) to 5 cm (all the way out).

• Angle. The angle brace can be set at angles from 0 degrees (flat) to 40 degrees in 10 degree increments.

Science Story

• Prove It