So I'm back on the 3D printing blog wagon again and it's pretty awesome. For this lesson, I thought it would be cool to have students think about a water wheel, learn about it a little, and try to design something they thought would be efficient enough to keep up with its intended use. To start off with, the kids would need a video:
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
The class should be pretty engaged at this point, knowing that this machine is huge, ancient, and incredibly useful. Once they have their bearings about what the task is, no matter what grade they're in, most students will be able to design something that mimics (or enhances) an existing type of water wheel.
What do you wonder?
The class should be pretty engaged at this point, knowing that this machine is huge, ancient, and incredibly useful. Once they have their bearings about what the task is, no matter what grade they're in, most students will be able to design something that mimics (or enhances) an existing type of water wheel.
One of the challenges I had initially was designing something with teeth that would protrude out far enough to catch, and effectively turn, the water that comes down. After some playing around, it was looking how I wanted and could be put into print.
In a classroom setting, I would put some constraints on how thick the wheel could be, but this was pretty awesome to see print and notice how sturdy it really was. Not to be left with an unfinished product, I had to test it out as if I was in a classroom. Using a cheap pitcher with a drain spout and a bowl to catch the water (which would then be put into our water filter - thanks California Drought), I was able to test the wheel and ensure that it would remain in motion for at least 90 seconds:
All in all, this is a pretty short post, but the lesson itself is where the fun happens. If you have a 3D printer and are interested in doing this, please let me know!
Happy "Water Wheelie" Fishing
Happy "Water Wheelie" Fishing
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