Motorized Balancing Toy

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In this activity, learners build a toy that flies in circles. This activity introduces learners to center of mass, torque, and rotational motion. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
45 to 60 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$5 - $10 per student
Age Range:
Ages 6 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • 1 coat hanger
  • 1 motor
  • 2' electrical wire
  • 1 AA battery
  • 1 wide rubber band
  • 1 block of wood
  • 1 plastic bottle
  • foam core, popsicle sticks, paint, or other supplies to make and decorate a flying toy
  • scissors
  • pliers
  • hot glue gun
  • small wood saw

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Electrical Engineering
      • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physical Sciences
    • Electricity and Magnetism
      • Electric Motors
      • Electric Circuits
    • Motion and Forces
      • Gravity
      • Momentum and Velocity
      • Rotation Motion
      • Center of Gravity
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Mass and Weight
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Informal Categories

  • Toys

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Oakland Discovery Centers

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Oakland Discovery Centers, 2012

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