Traveling with Mechanical Energy

 

Start your engines, we’re bringing you up to speed on all things Girlstart To-Go! This week, students reviewed concepts such as energy, work, and simple machines – all of which are important in the Mechanical Engineer career. After reviewing their vocabulary, girls were off and away designing wind-up cardboard cars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each table was given materials to build a cardboard car, powered by the mechanical energy from a wound-up rubber band. After designing their prototypes, girls tested them for speed, distance, and direction. Some cars went super fast, others rolled along at a slow and steady pace. A few cars went in a straight line while others veered off the tracks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls examined their designs and adjusted their cars to help them roll quickly and in a straight line. Finally, everyone raced their cars to see who would win!

Balloon Cars

It’s happened to all of us – we’re blowing up balloons for a party, and whoosh! One stray balloon goes flying around the room! What can this silly example teach us about kinetic and potential energy? This week at Girlstart After School, students learn about the Mechanical Engineer career and build balloon-powered cars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, girls built the body of their car using cardboard, tape, straws, skewers, and wheels. Each group tested their car body by rolling it along the floor or the table top. Next, a balloon was taped on top of the car and secured to straws. Girls blew up the balloons and released their cars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through this activity, girls learned about Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This, coupled with the concept of potential energy in the blown-up balloon and the kinetic energy of the car moving along the table, taught girls about the conservation of energy. Finally, girls measured the distance their car traveled and brainstormed possible improvements.

 

Circuit Messages

We’re bringing back the Electrical Engineer career for yet another week of Girlstart To-Go – this time, students are constructing circuits to send and receive buzzer messages! This form of communication has been in use since the 1800s!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls used batteries, wires, a buzzer, and switches to build a closed circuit which would allow them to “buzz” messages back and forth. After testing their buzzer designs, each class group gathered together to learn about the history of text messaging. Originally, telegraphs used morse code to communicate messages over long distances. STEM Crew leaders then sent students a word using dits and dahs. Would students be able to decipher the message?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You bet! Girls then sent each other single words, made of dits and dahs. To close out the session and test the students’ knowledge of telegraph history, girls used their buzzers to answer true or false questions. At Girlstart, we don’t just text and tweet – we can use Morse Code too!