building a propeller-driven vehicle

Motion and Design Lesson 11: Building a Propeller-Driven Vehicle


Think and Wonder

What kinds of vehicles use a propeller? What do you know about propeller-

driven vehicles? In this lesson, you will use a technical drawing to build a

propeller-driven vehicle. How can you get the propeller to spin? What happens when you let go of the

propeller? 0


In your Laboratory Record Book:

What do you know about propeller-driven vehicles? Write your thought in your LRB.

We will use a technical drawing to build a propeller-driven vehicle in this lesson.

In Lesson 12 we will analyze its design features. 0

Link to LRB


Looking at propellers:

How do you think the white connector could be used to attach the propeller to the vehicle?

Where on the vehicle could you connect the rubber band? 0

Look at the white connector.

See how the connected rubber bands attach to the propeller hook.


Looking at propellers: cont.

What design features would you need to move your vehicle with a propeller? Let’s list our ideas in our LRBs. 0

Link to LRB


Materials Manager:

Please give each of your teammates a copy of the 11-1 technical drawing (from page 48 of your Student Activity Book).

0


Looking at Propellers, cont.

Please glue this technical drawing into your Laboratory Record Book. Then record your answers to the following:

1. How is this drawing different from the drawing you used in Lesson 2?2. How is this drawing the same? o

Link to LRB


Looking at Propellers, cont.

Did you notice that 11-1 is a THREE view technical drawing? It shows the top and side, but also the front.Why would a front view be necessary for building a propeller-driven vehicle? o


Materials Manager, please collect the following materials from the distribution center:

Your group’s bucket of building pieces

Propeller unit

Safety goggles3 Connected rubber bands 0


Link to LRB

Build your propeller-driven vehicle using the three-view technical drawing. Remember to wear your safety goggles.

3. Try to move your vehicle. Observe its motion. Record your observations in your LRB. 0


Link to LRB

Let’s display our completed vehicles..

4.What problems did you have building the vehicle from the technical drawing?

5. In what ways was it easier to build from a technical drawing in this lesson than it was in Lesson 2?

6.In what ways was it more difficult?

Record your answers in your LRB. 0

Final Activities


Link to LRB

Let’s share our observations about the motion and design of your propeller-driven vehicle:

7.How did you get the vehicle to move?

8.How did you get the propeller to spin?

9.What happened to the rubber band as you wound the propeller?

10.What happened when you let go of the propeller? Why do you think this happened?

Final Activities: LRB responses

Record your answers in your LRB. 0


Link to LRB

Let’s compare:

Look at the axle-driven vehicle like what you built in Lesson 2. I have added a connected rubber band to the axle.

11. How is the use of the rubber band with the propeller-driven vehicle and the axle-driven vehicle the same?

12. How is the rubber band used differently? 0



Link to LRB

Let’s look again at our brainstormed list “Design Ideas for Propeller-Driven Vehicles” in your LRBs.

Which vehicle design features helped the propeller move your vehicle in this lesson? Add to or change statements on the list on the basis of your observations in this lesson.

You will analyze the design features of your vehicles in greater detail in Lesson 12. 0



Materials Manager:

3 red dots3 blue dots3 green dotsOne strip of adding machine tape100-cm tapeSafety goggles 0

Extension Activity:


Design an experiment to test how far your vehicle will move with various turns on the propeller.

We will use 35, 50, 75 turns.

Document your findings in a table.

Graph your results in Excel. Print your data and your graph. BE SURE to make it small enough so you can glue it into your LRB. 0

Extension Activity:

Link to LRB


1.Label your vehicle.

2. Return all materials to the distribution centers. 0

Clean up time! Materials Manager:


Update your Table of Contents 0

Link to LRB

building a propeller-driven vehicle

Documents