Week 5: Physics Fundamentals
Discover the four fundamental forces of the universe and how to detect two of them: gravitational and electromagnetic! We're going to learn the difference between weight and mass by visiting different planets, detect electrostatic flashes around the house, and build a galvanometer to prove the scientific link between electricity and magnetism. We'll also get to build a working Hovercraft, and you get to pick which design you'd like to try out! (This week covers Unit 1.)
Week 6: Physics of Motion
Get ready to soar, zoom, spin, gyrate and move as you discover Newton's Laws of Motion through this fast and furious class in inertia, mass, velocity, distance, speed, g-force and acceleration! You'll get to drop kick, rocket launch, spin up, and blast skyward as you create several different projects in projectile and freefall motion as we do the Egg Drop Challenge together! (This week covers Unit 2.)
Week 7: Energy
Energy is the mover and shaker of the universe! Did you know that the energy on Earth actually comes from the sun? The energy from sunlight gets transformed into chemical energy in plants, which get eaten by animals and transformed into other forms, including heat, light, sound, and more. Let's take a closer dive into the world of energy and discover how energy is constantly transforming between kinetic and potential energy by building several homemade catapults! (This week covers Units 4 & Unit 5.)
Week 8: Sound
Sound is a form of energy - it's energy traveling as a wave. All sounds come from vibrations. Sound can be very powerful. It’s basically made up of invisible waves of energy that go through things like the air, the ground, water, or through solid stuff like guitar strings. But it needs something in order to move. (This week covers Unit 6.)
Week 9: Engineering & Innovation
Special class! You are going to design and build your very own Rube Goldberg Machine! We've covered a LOT of physics in just over a month: forces friction, gravity, energy, power, momentum, inertia, velocity, acceleration, sound and so much more! Now let's take a look at how we can put all of these together into one design challenge that will really make your kids run wild with ideas!Sample Machines
If you'd like ideas for simple, clever things you can add to your own design, I've put together a sampling of short videos from an old Japanese TV show (Pythagora Switch). While the resolution may not be great, these are truly a set of amazing, innovative ways of re-purposing everyday materials in unique ways!
Some of these only have one or two elements, and others are quite complex. Feel free to use any of these ideas in your own creation. There's no limit to how short or long your invention needs to be. Just have fun and enjoy the process of creating it!
Simple Design Challenge
If designing a Rube Goldberg Machine feels too complicated or overwhelming, I've put together two separate design challenges that you can work on. You can opt to do one or both, it's totally up to you. If after completing these you feel you'd like to try designing a Rube Goldberg, feel free to step up to the challenge and see what you come up with!
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