Algonquin College

1385 Woodroffe Ave

Ottawa, Ontario

K2G-1V8

(613)727-4723 ext.5138

Mechanical Systems, Physics of Building Pyramids

Provided by Ottawa Carleton District School Board

Last updated: June 22, 2007

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Physics of Building Pyramids, July 2006 Page 2 of 8

Table of Contents

Summary of Lesson Plan 2

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS 3

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS 3

CROSS CURRICULAR 3

LESSON OBJECTIVES 3

MOTIVATION 3

BRACKGROUND REQUIRED 4

LESSON TIME 4

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN 4

Day 1 4

Day 2/3 4

Day 4 4

Day 5 5

Day 6 5

Day 7 5

Evaluation 5

MATERIALS 5

Appendix #1 – Rubrics 6

Feedback Page 7

Summary of Lesson Plan

·  Students are exposed to history of pyramid construction through

·  Students calculate components of force involved in moving individual blocks during construction

·  Students calculate mechanical advantage and investigate the benefits of different mechanical systems

·  Students take part in an interactive pyramid building simulation

This lesson plan may identify specific resources to support certain activities. While the expedition team will attempt to gather all the required resources, we cannot guarantee that all photo, audio, video will be captured as listed.

Physics of Building Pyramids, July 2006 Page 2 of 8

Small World Big Picture, Expedition Africa 2006

Subject Area: SPH4C

Unit: Mechanical Systems – Physics of building Pyramids

Length of Activity: 8 x 75 mins

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

·  identify and analyze applications of applied forces, friction, and simple machines in real-world machines and in the human body.

·  design and carry out experiments to investigate forces, coefficients of friction, and the operation of simple machines

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

·  analyze, in qualitative and quantitative terms, the forces (e.g., gravitational forces, applied forces, friction forces) acting on an object in a variety of situations, and describe the resulting motion of the object (KU)

·  identify, describe, and illustrate applications of types of simple machines, that is, the inclined plane and the lever, and modifications of these (the wedge, the screw, the pulley, and the wheel and axle)

·  determine, through experimentation, the factors affecting static and dynamic friction and the corresponding coefficients of friction

·  describe advantages and disadvantages of friction in real-world situations, as well as methods used to increase or reduce friction in these situations (e.g., advantages of, and methods for increasing, friction on the surface of car tires and the soles of mountain-climbing boots; disadvantages of, and methods for reducing, friction between moving parts on industrial machines, and on wheels spinning on axles)

CROSS CURRICULAR

·  Trig. Relationships (Math)

LESSON OBJECTIVES (Students will learn):

·  Students are exposed to history of pyramid construction through VIDEO LINK

·  Students calculate components of force involved in moving individual blocks during construction

·  Students calculate mechanical advantage and investigate the benefits of different mechanical systems

·  Students take part in an interactive pyramid building simulation

MOTIVATION (Hook):
**Students view Video Link from SWBP website with overview of Pyramid history and construction techniques.

BRACKGROUND REQUIRED

Students need to have covered the following background material:

·  Trig. Functions review

·  Vector review and vector components

LESSON TIME

This lesson would require 5x75 mins.:

Day 1: View video, debrief, intro vector components

Day 2/3: Vector components and dynamics (force of friction, coefficient of friction, normal force, applied force)

Day 4/5: Moving blocks up the pyramid – Dynamics and Pyramids. Using simple machines

Day 5/6: Simple machines and mechanical advantage

Day 7: «Building a pyramid» Simulation (HYPERLINK BELOW)

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

Day 1

  1. Students view SWBP Video from Pyramid site
  2. Group discussion of content in video (You may choose to use a worksheet to guide note taking during video) - For information see Hyperlink in Resources section.
  3. Students identify the challenges in constructing pyramids. These forces can be identified in two components (vertically up the pyramid and horizontally along the
  4. length of the pyramid)
  5. INSTRUCTION:Vectors in two components

Day 2/3

  1. Demo – Friction and motion. Define forces of friction
  2. INTRUCTION: Factors that Friction (Normal Force (Mass/Gravity)
  3. Problem solving using vector components

Day 4

  1. On average each block is 2300kg. Students can calculate the necessary applied force to move a typical block up the pyramid.

**Students do problem solving involving ramps and angles

  1. Investigate how certain materials could be used to decrease the work required by changing the coefficient of friction

**Students can do some problem solving practice

  1. Possible extensions:
  2. Use average force applied by an individual to calculate the number of workers required to pull a block
  3. Use concept of Power and Energy to calculate the time required to move individual blocks to certain heights on the pyramid.

Day 5

  1. Compare Actual work done with Work input to calculate the mechanical advantage offered by different mechanical systems
  2. Discuss the practical application of different methods with the goal of settling on the practicality of using a ramp
  3. Students can use the PYRAMID BUILDING Learning Object to experiment with different angles and optimizing them

**Students submit their results and support their decisions

Day 6

  1. Students can investigate the different types of ramps proposed by archaeologists and then calculate the mechanical advantages offered by different approaches (Information found in links below)

*This activity could be organized such that different groups investigate different structures and then report to the class

Day 7

  1. Students take part in the Pyramid building simulation found at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/pyramid_builder_game.shtml

  1. This simulation is a fun way for students to build a pyramid. Although not technically demanding there are some really interesting sections that require the students to problem solve and make decisions to assist in their task. Failure to make good decisions means the failure in the project.
  2. Upon completion, the simulation offers an opportunity to discuss the technical challenges faced in building these structures. The class can take this opportunity to reflect on how significant an engineering and logistical this was. This discussion could serve as a segway into modern construction and other applications of different mechanical systems.

Evaluation

Some formative evaluation can occur throughout the activities. A summative test or exercise can also be included.

MATERIALS (Requirements):
VIDEO

·  SWBP Website Video Link

TECHNOLOGY

·  Computer Lab

·  SWBP Pyramid Building Learning Object

INTERNET

·  Pyramid Info

http://touregypt.net/construction/

·  Simulation: Building a Pyramid

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/pyramid_builder_game.shtml

Appendix #1 – Rubrics

SPH4C – Problem Solving Rubric

LEVEL1 / LEVEL 2 / LEVEL 3 / LEVEL 4
Thinking and Inquiry (Identification of key concepts needed to resolve problem) / Students require significant help to identify the basics concepts / Students easily identify the basic concepts / Students are able to identify a range of concepts that apply to the problem / Students easily identify numerous concepts and extend them beyond the class discussion
Application (Application of key concepts to solve problem) / Students have trouble identifying the tools needed to solve the problem / Students require guidance to choose and apply tools / Students choose and apply appropriate problem solving tools / Students identify new and creative ways to address problems they face
Communication
(Communication of results) / Students communicate results incompletely / Students communicate results in a way that are disorganized and difficult to follow / Students use effective strategies to communicate their results / Results are communicated in a clear and creative way

Feedback Page

Please provide us with your feedback on this lesson and/or its available resources. We welcome suggestions for improvements, additional methodologies, and/or new resources you may have found to support the lesson(s).

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Physics of Building Pyramids Page 4 of 7