Wednesday, January 30, 2013

SMMART SCIENCE: Monster Jam and Water Wheel

What ways can wheels be powered?  An engine, a motor, blowing a stream of air or a stream of water can power a wheel too!
  Water and wheels...fun combination!
   Find something round in your recycle bin that you can push a skewer through...an oatmeal top, a small plastic plate or plastic cup bottom...
  Tape little cups around the perimeter and set up your skewer onto something to prop up the wheel.   If you are lucky enough to find a long dowel, then you can prop the dowel up on the edges of the sink.
  What little cups do you have on hand? (empty creamer cups, I found little plastic clear cups at the dollar store, foam egg carton cups, or you can wrap foam paper into little triangle cups and secure them onto the "round" item you found) 
 "A water wheel converts the potential and kinetic energy of a stream of water to rotational kinetic energy. The undershot wheel on the left-hand side of the model uses only kinetic energy, while the overshot wheel (right-hand wheel and top chute) used mainly potential energy. The breast-wheel (right-hand wheel, lower chute) uses both types of energy" (www.physics.kenyon.edu)


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