Tag: Phase II

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Communication ECA Phase II Class 7: LEGO Digital Designer: Screw 20180221

The topic of today is to build a screw using the LEGO Digital Designer (LDD). LDD is a freeware computer program produced by the Lego Group. It is available for macOS and Windows. The program allows users to build models using virtual Lego bricks, in a computer-aided design like manner. The usage of the LDD is pretty straightforward, and students get familiar enough with it after some instructions and practice. They were requested to build a screw model in LDD following a step by step booklet. The STEM information behind this section is the computer-aided designs, which is common in industry designs every day. All students got a good practice with LDD, and they were ready for the assignment to design a customized model.

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Communication ECA Phase II Class 6: Motion: Tower Crane 20180214

The topic of today is the Tower Crane. A crane is generally equipped with ropes or chains that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting heavy things and transporting them to other places. The device uses one or more pulleys to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of a human. Cranes are commonly employed in the transport industry for the loading and unloading of freight, in the construction industry for the movement of materials, and in the manufacturing industry for the assembling of heavy equipment.

Two students built three models as a group, then they conducted load lifting experiments by using the built models. The speed and capacity of three tow crane models were compared. It’s clear to the students the crane who could lift heavier load had a lower speed. The STEM information behind this section is the crane’s mechanical advantage. All students finished the model and experiments, they enjoyed the class.

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PBP Phase 2: Class 5: Ramp and Inclinator

Today we built a pulley system designed to pull a weight up a ramp and learned about mechanical advantage using a block and tackle system. The students seemed to really enjoy playing with the ramp and seeing their models work. Please ask the students to clean up a bit better as we found pieces lying all over the floor. 

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Communication ECA Phase II Class 8: LEGO Designs 20180228

The topic of today is to continue the LEGO Designs since the last class. The students used the Lego Digital Designer (LDD) to build models using virtual Lego bricks, in a computer-aided design like manner. The assignment they had after the last class is to design their own Lego models, thus they can build their designs during the class. Half students didn’t do their designs, the other half’s designs couldn’t be built due to Lego part limitation. The lesson we gained of class 8 is we should give the student more time to finish their designs, thus we decided to make the Lego design as the first class of Phase II.

The reflections of Phase II: the intention to help the students to learn more STEM knowledge is good, but limited model building portion of the class will cause nothing but boredness. We should get rid of boring class such as the principal model and teach the principle model concept in every class separately.

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Communication ECA Phase III Class 5: Pneumatics: Scissor Lift 20180207

The theme of today is scissor lift, which is the first application of the pneumatic system. The scissor model composes pneumatic components including cylinders, pumps, air valves, air tanks, and manometers. In the process of building models, the students got a deeper understanding of the design philosophy and working principles of the pneumatic system, which built a solid ground for the next following more advanced pneumatic application models. This section is a good illustration of the air storage system in the pneumatic system.

The STEM information behind this section is the application of pneumatic systems. The cylinder piston rod output forces can be calculated by multiplying the air pressure to the piston area. All the students finished the model and the experiments. They are ready for the next more advanced pneumatic systems.

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Communication ECA Phase II Class 5: Motion: The Ramp 20180207

The topic of today is the Ramp. Ramps have been used since ancient times to help move heavy objects or large quantities of materials from one level to another. Today, automobile transport services use the ramp on their trucks to load multiple vehicles on one transport. In the class, the students built the model ramp and the box frame in order to investigate how angle and wheels affect the needed effort.

Two students built one model as a group, then they conducted experiments by using effort weight to pull their box frame from the bottom of the ramp to the top. They tested their built models on three ramps with different angles, then compared the mechanical efficiency of different ramp systems. The STEM information behind this section is the ramp’s mechanical advantage. All students finished the model and experiments, they enjoyed the class.

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Communication ECA Phase II Class 4: Mechanism Principal Model 20180131

The class of today is the mechanism principal model, in which we covered several most important mechanical mechanisms in human’s history. In order to deliver the concept more intuitively, we first built the simple models and then we explain the knowledge behind all these models. We built three different kinds of levers, two wheel and axle models, three pulley models and one screw model. All models are simple but enough to explain the basic mechanical design rules behind them. The student got bored pretty quickly, but they finished all model building and more importantly, they learned some important concept.

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PBP Phase 2: Class 4: Simple Machines

Today we talked about simple machines, where they are found and the different types of machines. While some students didn’t enjoy the less hands on lesson they did enjoy the demonstration of the Class 2 Lever. Yuan in particular seems to have a very good grasp on mechanical principles thus far. Next week we will be talking about combinations of simple machines so please make sure they review the three types of levers, the screw, ramp, and the wedge.

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PBP Phase 2: Class 3: Walker

This week we built the Walker in order to understand the principles of Levers and learn a bit about why walking can be useful. The students seemed to have enjoyed the activity however not many of them were able to finish on time due to the complex nature of the walker itself, I advise certain students to do less talking and more building.  In the next class we will be building a pulley system that will move a cart up a ramp. I ask that the parents help with cleanup as a few pieces were found to be lying around after class.

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Communication ECA Phase II Class 3: The Walker 20170124

The topic of today is the Walker. The students built a big cricket (a legged robot) to learn the basic knowledge of mechanical balance and friction. The legged robot is comprised of four legs with a wheel at each end, it can walk power by the motor. The motor axis motions are transferred by a worm gear, and then to the legs. The STEM information behind this section is the basic mechanical mechanism and concepts including the worm gear, friction and balance. All students finished the model and conducted tests by changing the legs’ length to compare the walking speed and balance. They competed with each other and had a lot of fun.

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