Curated OER
Get Geared Up
Middle schoolers calculate gear ratio as they solve word problems. They discuss and find slopes as they relate to real life. Additionally, they hey use ratio and proportion to make predictions and solve problems.
Curated OER
Mechanical Monsters
Students experiment try to build a Lego car. In this physical science lesson students present and demonstrate the vehicle that they constructed.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Racing with the Sun - Creating a Solar Car
Students use a purchased kit to build a solar powered car. They connect a solar photovoltaic panel to a motor which runs the car forward and backward. They determine how to wire the car to move in both directions.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Robotics
In this curriculum unit, educators can find lectures and project materials related to electronics including the LEGO robotics.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Jack and Jill Went Up a Hill and Came Biking Down After
Are you a budding Lance Armstrong or Greg LeMond? Are you into cycling and speed? Then this is the science fair project for you. In this science fair project, you will determine the best gear ratio for your bike, to get the highest speed...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Tug of War Battle Bots
Students are introduced to the concepts of torque, power, friction and gear ratios. Teams modify two robotic LEGO vehicles by changing their gear ratios, wheel sizes, weight and engine power, while staying within a limit of points to...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Hare and Snail Challenges
Students extend the ideas learned in the maze challenge in this unit with a focus more on the robot design. They learn how to design the gear train from the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT servomotor to the wheel to make the LEGO taskbot go faster...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Exploring Solar Power
This unit provides students the opportunity to explore methods engineers have devised for harnessing sunlight to generate power. Students will initially explore heat transfer and heat storage through the construction, testing, and...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What Are Gears? What Do They Do?
Students are introduced to an important engineering element- the gear. This prepares them to apply this knowledge in four associated activities in order to create successful solutions to design challenges that use LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Claw
Students learn about gear ratios and power by operating toy mechanical cranes of differing gear ratios. They attempt to pick up objects with various masses to witness how much power must be applied to the system to oppose the force of...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science of Cycling
Exceptionally well-designed site from Exploratorium, the museum of science, art, and human perception. Analyzes the physics of cycling associated with the use of gears, human-powered motion, braking and steering, and drafting.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Cyberchase: Bianca Gets in Gear
Bianca visits a bike shop and learns how bicycle gears work in this Cyberchase video segment. [3:26]
Other
Hognosesam: Pulleys and Gears
This site gives a small amount of space to pulleys, and then provides a wealth of information about gears.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Racing With the Sun Creating a Solar Car
Students use engineering design principles to construct and test a fully solar powered car. Several options exist, though we recommend the "Junior Solar Sprint" (JSS) Car Kits that can be purchased with direction from the federal...
Learn Engineering
Learn Engineering: Manual Transmission: How It Works?
Learn about why a transmission is required in automobiles in this video and article, and how manual transmissions work. The article discusses all topics found in the video. [6:05]
Other
D&t Online: Gears
This site illustrates how gears work and how they are used in simple machines.