Robotics: Force and Motion
6th-8th Grade Science Module Overview
Topic:Robotics, force & motion
Grade Level:6th-8th
Course:Exploring Technology
Time Allotted for Module:3 weeks
Prior Knowledge:Students should have working definitions for speed and acceleration and some familiarity with Newton’s 2nd Law.
Overview
A 3-D Mars Spirit Rover Simulator will be used to engage students in the study of robotics.Students will then build their own self-powered rover and characterize its performance by taking measurements of the distance it travels and its average speed.In this project, students are working with the definitions of displacement, speed, and acceleration.They are also constructing graphs to study the relationships among these quantities.
Students will then have an opportunity to change their design in an effort to optimize their rover’sperformance.After calculating the effect of changing the rover’s wheel size, students will modify their rover and characterize its performance with the new wheels.Predicting and analyzing their rover’s performance requires that students connect a description of rotational motion (for the wheels) to their description of translational motion (for the rover).
Finally, students will determine how the rover’s mass affects its performance.They will characterize the motion of their rover as they add more mass.The time and distance measurements for this part of the project are more detailed than those done earlier.Students will break a single rover test run into four different distance intervals, making measurements which allow them to calculate the average speed over each interval.From this, they will then be able to calculate the acceleration of their rover.As students repeat this with rovers of different masses, they will generate enough data to determine how acceleration is related to the rover’s mass, and draw conclusions about the force provided by their rover engine.
Vocabulary
Acceleration: The rate at which an object’s velocity changes along with an associated direction.If an object is speeding up, the acceleration is in the direction of the velocity.If an object is slowing down, the acceleration is in the opposite direction of the velocity.
Angular Speed: The rate at which an object is rotating
Circumference: The distance traveled if one were to walk around a circle.It is 2*PI*radius.
Diameter: The width of a circle. It is found by measuring the length of a line passing through the circle’s center.
Displacement: The distance through which an object has moved
Force: A push or a pull
Mass: How much ‘stuff’ an object is made up of
Radius: The distance from the center of a circle to its edge
Revolution: One complete rotation of an object
Speed: The rate at which an object’s position is changing
Velocity: The rate at which the position of an object changes, along with information about the direction in which it is traveling.As a scalar, this is called a speed and is not associated with a direction.
General Resources
- Students should go to sites daily to review technology and data about the Mars Rover.
- They should be able to use the thumbnails and see the position of the Rovers.
- Students should use the different simulations to maneuver their virtual rover as they work on their rover experiments.
- Students can create a web quest to research other self-propelled car designs.
- Before starting the design challenge, students should have a good understanding of simple machines, force and motion, and the design process.
- Rubrics for assessment can be found on the NASA SCI Files™ web site in the Educators area by clicking on Tools in the menu bar and then choosing Instructional Tools.
- Check out NASA LIVE™ to learn more about FREE videoconferencing programs that connect your students with NASA engineers, scientists, and specialists.
- Use as a way to engage the students daily and as a way to keep the students working on the topic after the day’s activity is finished.
Materials
6th-8th Grade “Robotics” Module- Overview Page 1
DAY 1-3
Mousetrap car kit
Mousetrap Car Materials
1 standard mousetrap
String
Rubber bands
Material for axles (dowel rods, skewers, straws)
Wheels (lids, compact, disks, butter tub lids)
Glue
Low temperature glue gun (optional)
Scissors
Graph paper
Meter stick
Masking tape
Other, to be determined by teacher and/or student. Various objects such as foam material meat trays, Legos®, modified toy cars, balsa wood, washers, and other objects can be brought from home and used to build a mousetrap car. Be creative! To make the competition fair, provide multiple items in a pool of resources from which students can choose.
Mousetrap Vehicle Pitsco 59463
DAY 4-6
Completed mousetrap vehicle
Graphite as lubricant
Measuring tape
Stopwatch
DAY 7-8
Ruler
Calculator
Pencil
DAY 9-11
Completed mousetrap vehicle
Graphite as lubricant
Measuring tape
Masking tape
4 stopwatches
DAY 12-15
Computers with Internet access
6th-8th Grade “Robotics” Module- Overview Page 1
Science Standards
Big Idea 1: The Practice of Science
Big Idea 2: The Characteristics of Scientific Knowledge
Big Idea 3: The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, and Models
Big Idea 5: Earth in Space & Time
Big Idea 6: Earth Structures
SC.6.P.12.1Measure and graph distance versus time for an object moving at a constant speed. Interpret thisrelationship.
Big Idea 11: Energy Transfer and Transformations
SC.6.P.11.1Explore the Law of Conservation of Energy by differentiating between potential and kinetic energy. Identify situations where kinetic energy is transformed into potential energy and vice versa.
Big Idea 12: Motion of Objects
SC.6.P.12.1Measure and graph distance versus time for an object moving at a constant speed. Interpret this relationship.
Big Idea 13: Forces and Changes in Motion
SC.6.P.13.3Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or both.
Math Standards
Big Idea 1: Linear functions & equations
Analyze and represent linear functions, and solve linear equations and systems of linear equations.
MA.8.A.1.1Create and interpret tables, graphs, and models to represent, analyze, and solve problems related to linear equations, including analysis of domain, range, and the difference between discrete andcontinuous data.
MA.8.A.1.2Interpret the slope and the x- and y-intercepts when graphing a linear equation for a real-worldproblem.
MA.8.A.1.3Use tables, graphs, and models to represent, analyze, and solve real-world problems related to systems of linear equations.
MA.8.A.1.4Identify the solution to a system of linear equations using graphs.
MA.8.A.1.5Translate among verbal, tabular, graphical, and algebraic representations of linear functions.
MA.8.A.1.6Compare the graphs of linear and non-linear functions for real-world situations.
References
ActivityDocs.pdf (various worksheets etc.)
teacher-created
Docfizzix
Mars Rover Mission Homepage
Mars_Rover_Technical_Specs.pdf
Mousetrap Car Manual
paper, provided with purchase of car
NASA Mars Rovers
NASA SCI Files - Mouse Trap Car Activity
Rover Simulation Freeware
SCI-SWE_Book.pdf (pages 93-94, Mousetrap Car)
6th-8th Grade “Robotics” Module- Overview Page 1