MacGyver Windmills

Students will use a limited amount of materials to design and build functioning windmill models. They will use these models to convert wind into mechanical energy in order to lift weights. Using the scientific method, they will conduct trials, change variables, and work to improve the performance of their windmills.

The Details

Grades

and 8.

Time Required

1 class period

Downloads

PDFs

Video

Next Generation Science Standards

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ETS1.A Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem

ETS1.B Developing Possible Solutions

ETS1.C Optimizing the Design Solution

PS2.A Forces and Motion

PS2.B Types of Interactions

PS3.A Definitions of Energy

PS3.B

PS3.C

Cross-Cutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Energy and Matter

Patterns

Learning Objectives

– Know the fundamental parts of a wind turbine
– Be able to use the engineering design process and the scientific method to isolate and adjust variables while designing and testing wind wheels
– Understand energy conversions and transfers, and how a wind turbine converts moving air into electrical energy
– Design a Wind Wheel for the firefly wind turbine that can light up an LED

Materials

– Blades
– Index cards
– Hubs
– Foam cylinder
– Cork
– Driveshafts
– Skewers
– Straws
– Cardboard tubes
– Dowels
– Attachments
– T-pins
– Weightlifting
– String
– Cup
– Washer
– Spool
– Classroom materials to share
– 20″x20″ standard box fans
– Ruler
– Tape
– Scissors
– Alternative blade material such as paper plates, scrap cardboard, lawn signs, pie pans, etc. Anything that catches the wind will work!