Overview

Grades

3+ (Ages 8+)

Time

40 minutes per lab

Unit Essential Question(s)

How can we conduct an investigation to observe cause and effect relationships?
How do simple machines make work easier?

Unit Understandings

The following concepts will be covered throughout this Unit:

What happens to an object when a force is applied to it.
A simple machine is a device that changes the direction or strength of force, and is used to make work easier.
How to articulate the purpose of the investigation.

Lab Summary

Click on the following tabs for a summary of what the students will do and learn in each lab.

Lab 1 - Inclined Plane

Main Focus Question: How does an inclined plane affect work?

Students will use the VEX GO Kit to build an Inclined Plane with 3 height levels. They will use the build to investigate how height and gravitational force affect the distance an object travels after rolling down an inclined plane.

Students will test how far the VEX GO Blue Wheel travels after rolling down the Inclined Plane at 3 different heights.

Students will be guided to make predictions based on the data from previous experiments and demonstrations.

Lab 2 - Lever

Main Focus Question: How can force be applied to make work easier?

Students will build and test a Lever using the VEX GO Kit. They will use the build to explore how a lever can make work easier by reducing the amount of force needed to lift an object.

Students will also examine how the placement of the pivot point alters the force needed to balance each side of the Lever.

Lab 3 - Wheel & Axle

Main Focus Question: How does a simple machine affect work?

Students will build a Spring Car with the GO Kit, and use the car to test how a wheel and axle makes work easier.

They will examine how the wheel and axle affect the distance the Spring Car travels. They will use data to make predictions and propose cause-and-effect relationships for how the wheel and axle enables an object to move more easily.

Lab 4 - Gears

Main Focus Question: How does a force change while using gears?

Students will investigate the transfer of energy through gears. They will build a hand powered Clock using the VEX GO Kit and observe the interactions between gears to determine how one gear affects another.

Students will use observed patterns in gear movement to predict movement of a final gear.

Unit Standards

Unit Standards will be addressed in every Lab within the Unit.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

NGSS 3-PS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

How Standard is Achieved: In Lab 1: Students will plan and conduct an investigation to explore how the imbalanced force of gravity causes the Blue Wheel to roll down an inclined plane during the Play section. Through the investigation, students will also observe the cause and effect relationships between the height of the Inclined Plane and the distance that the Blue Wheel travels. The investigation will consist of making predictions and then testing and documenting how far the Blue Wheel will travel when rolled down different heights of the Inclined Plane on their Data Collection Sheet.

In Lab 2: In Play Part 1, students will investigate the effects of the pivot point on the Lever’s ability to do work and use the least amount of force. In Play Part 1, they will test different pivot points of the Lever with a Disk on each side. The three pivot points will create unbalanced weight between the two sides of the Lever, indicating unbalanced forces. In Play Part 2, students will use data from their tests to determine the best location for the pivot point to reduce the amount of force needed to lift three Disks, thus making work easier.

In Lab 3: Throughout the Play section, students will conduct an investigation in which they explore how the wheel and axle affect the distance their Spring Car travels. Students will investigate this by testing the distance their Spring Car will travel with and without wheels. The investigation will consist of testing the distance the Spring Car travels without wheels in Play Part 1, then with wheels in Play Part 2.

In Lab 4: In Play Part 1, students will collect data based on the movement of gears. They will record the size of that gear and the next gear in the build. Students will also record and compare the speed of movement between those two gears. Students will use the movement data to make a prediction during the Mid-Play Break about what will happen if another two gears were added to the Clock. Students will test their predictions and the additional two gears in Play Part 2. In the Share section, students will share their results and observations on the accuracy of their predictions.

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