Session 1 · DESIGN: Improve
Fair tests
- 10 minPlan one fair test for your context: sag under 500 g, seconds on the shake table, or wind from a hair dryer at 50 cm.
- 25 minRun the test three times. Record results and film the moment of failure in slow motion if you can.
- 15 minFind the weakest point. Draw a red circle on your sketch where it failed and write why.
Session 2 · DESIGN: Improve
Version two
- 35 minRebuild or strengthen: add triangles, guy ropes, a wider base, or base isolation. Change one thing at a time.
- 15 minRetest with the same method. Compare version one and version two in a table.
Getting started
Improve the single weakest joint first.
Stretch
Try two different fixes on two copies and compare which works better, and why.
Checkpoint
Results from version one and version two, with at least one improvement explained by evidence.
Activities for this week
- Shake table showdown: Can a tower survive an earthquake, and does base isolation help?
- Flying fox tipping test: Why do the towers of a flying fox want to tip inward, and how do guy ropes stop it?
Useful this week
- Simple machines ↗ How levers, pulleys and gears trade force for distance.
- EPro8 Challenge ↗ New Zealand engineering challenges, including the flying fox and helicopter rescue.