The scientists in Key Stage 2 went to Stage One on Tuesday for a Science Evening. This spectacular day challenged all the scientists and their parents to pick up a light object without having any physical contact with the object. There were instructions and materials provided, but we had to make our machine, problem solve, and improve our device using trial and error.
Each family group (some even had grandparents with them!) eagerly started to think of ideas and make joints and hinges to create an ‘extendable grabber’. You had to reinforce hinges, as flexible joints meant that the machine could not transfer the forces and your device wouldn’t extend.
Although the teachers were very generous with unlimited resources, we still had to be careful as the bamboo skewers could have splinters, and we couldn’t injure each other with our extendable grabbers.
Despite some fiddly steps we persevered and made an extendable grabber. It was really fun and we could modify them to have better grip, or add extra joints and hinges. I could pick up the roll of masking tape and the scissors with mine, though gravity did cause it to bend on the second joint.
Maybe one day you could invent an object like the extendable grabber that the Key Stage Two scientists could scrutinise?
- Jagat Sachdeva, 5U