The wonderful world of fair rides and their magical physic properties continue to flourish in the Lab! As the Fair approaches this weekend, students are inspired to recreate their favorite rides. From learning about types of motion to understanding how to create safe and fun rides, the Lab is quickly turning into a mini carnival itself. Roller coasters, Ferris Wheels and all types of spinning or flying contraptions are filling the shelves around the Lab, as students expand their knowledge and up the caliber of their designs. 

 

In previous weeks students learned about three types of motion including circular, rotation and linear and this week the students added one more to the list: oscillation! Oscillation is a type of motion that continually repeats, usually back and forth. Natural oscillation will eventually slow down and stop and due to friction acting up the object, however, motors can be used to keep oscillation patterns going continuously! Here is an awesome video about natural pendulum movement, created by the Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations, which shows how oscillation motion works naturally!

 

This is almost the last week of Summer session classes before students go back to school and get back into their school year routine. For many students the Lab is a place of imagination, experimentation and opening learning, as seen in this month’s physic of fair rides topic. School teachers often comment on the confidence and independence that Lab students demonstrate in their classrooms. Not only are we inspiring our students to question and learn and change the way they think and feel about learning, but enabling them for success in other areas of their lives. 

 

The Lab Report by: 

Dahlton Grover