Crash Barrier
Construct a crash barrier designed to minimize the impact force experienced by a cart in a collision.
Conservation of Momentum
The law of conservation of momentum is a powerful generalization of Newton’s third law. For an isolated system, the total momentum of all the objects...
Inelastic Collisions
In this investigation you will explore how the total kinetic energy and momentum of a closed system involving two carts is affected by a perfectly inelastic...
Elastic Collisions
How can we predict the outcome of an elastic collision? A collision between two carts is nearly elastic, but not completely. In this experiment, you will...
Levers
What is the relationship between the output force and the input force? How do we design a lever to have a mechanical advantage?
Pulleys
How can ropes and pulleys create mechanical advantage? How does a block and tackle machine work?
Ramps and Inclined Planes
How does a ramp change the force required to move an object uphill? When the Egyptians built their massive pyramids, they faced the engineering challenge...
Gear Ratios
How do gears work? How do the number of teeth affect the turns of a gear machine? A gear is a wheel with teeth that interlock with matching teeth on another...
Designing Gear Machines
How do you make a large gear ratio? How are gear machines designed? Your challenge is to design machines with the following ratios.
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