Mechanics

Here’s another rich lesson guide from Mikko Bojarsky – this time with the help of Antje Bojarsky as well. Anyone teaching Mechanics to middle school students will love (and feel extremely grateful for) the help this book offers. Students, on the other hand, will revel in the joys of a rich and interesting presentation of Mechanics. A beautifully win-win presentation!

Contents:

Introduction

Levers of the First Kind

• The Seesaw
• The Crowbar
• Prying up a Paint Can with a Screwdriver
• Desktop Levers of the First Kind
• Moment of Force Mobile
• Making Mobiles
• The Law of the Lever of the First Kind Equation
• Calculating the Mechanical Advantage of a Lever of the First Kind
• The Invisible Effort
• Weighing a Student Using a Seesaw
• Determining the Weight of a Brick
• Human Balance Beams

Levers of the Second Kind

• Introducing Levers of the Second Kind
• Human Wheelbarrows
• Using a Plank to Lift Students
• The Wheelbarrow as a Lever of the Second Kind

Levers of the Third Kind

• Using a Broom as Lever of the Third Kind
• Investigating Levers of the Third Kind
• Opening a Door
• Identifying Levers in Household Tools
• Finding the Three Types of Levers in the Body
• Lever Tasks

Pulleys

• Using a Pulley to Create Mechanical Advantage
• A Block and Tackle with a Mechanical Advantage of 4
• Rigging Block and Tackles
• Using Two Brooms to Make a Block and Tackle
• Lifting Students with a Block and Tackle
• The Trucker’s Hitch
• Tasks to Accomplish with Pulleys and Levers

The Wheel and Axle

• The Old Oaken Bucket
• The Brace and Bit
• Twisting a Broom Handle
• A Corn Broom as Wheel and Axle
• Tire Iron Wheel and Axle
• Turning a Screw Eye
• Comparing Screwdrivers with Different Sized Handles

The Inclined Plane

• Introducing the Inclined Plane
• Hauling a Car Up an Inclined Plane Using an Elastic Band
• Hauling a Car Up an Inclined Plane Using a Spring Scale
• Desktop Inclined Plane
• Analysis of the Inclined Plane

The Wedge

• Lifting Furniture with a Wedge
• Separating Bricks with a Wedge
• Pounding in Blunt and Pointed Nails
• Splitting Logs with a Wedge

The Screw

• Making Pencil Screws
• Calculating the Mechanical Advantage of a Screw
• The Jackscrew
• Automobile Scissors Jack
• Bolts and Springs
• Comparing Nails and Screws
• Putting the Thread on a Screw

Gears

• Examining How Gears Work
• Building Model Gears
• Gear Ratios
• 10-Speed Bicycle Gears
• Counting Teeth on Gears
• Building Transmisison Boxes
• Student Activity: Simple Machines in the Classroom
• Finding Simple Machines in Tools from Home
• How Many Simple Machines Are There?
• Compound Machines
• Turning One Kind of Motion into Another

Sample Mechanics Practice and Quiz Sheets
Recommended Resources
Check Your Understanding Answers
Afterword