Any good ideas for lessons in these three catergories, aerodynamics, controls and sensors, alternative energy?

Question

For school I have to create a lesson for one of these three catorgies. This lesson needs to be unique but able for me to provide an experiment in the lesson. I have create a powerpoint with enough background information, any ideas or suggestion on any sub categories or experiments involving these topics?

Answer 1

personally i like aerodynamics.

what makes a boomerang fly, and come back?

that's just cool.

how much better are all the toys that have been modeled on boomerangs?

how far --- how big a circle, can you make one fly.

when i was a kid, i got a piece of plywood, and cut several out.

the biggest one made a very large circle, but i couldn't get it to fly long enough to come all the way back to me.

you could google  boomerang aerodynamics  and you'd find:

Answer 2

I really love the Car's aerodynamics so check this out!!!

Automotive aerodynamics is the study of the aerodynamics of road vehicles. The main concerns of automotive aerodynamics are reducing drag, reducing wind noise, minimising noise emission and preventing undesired lift forces at high speeds. For some classes of racing vehicles, it may also be important to produce desirable downwards aerodynamic forces to improve traction and thus cornering abilities.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_...

Answer 3

A "Do-It-Yourself" Stirling Engine is a simple yet elegant way to demonstrate alternative energy.   If you aren't familiar with the concept, check out the YouTube video : "The Stirling Engine Project" by StatusProductions.

"...Ever put a tightly filled balloon in the freezer, then come back and see it largely shrunken? Once you bring it back out into a warm room it expands again. Now what if we could use that expanding and contracting for moving a piston... and you've got the general idea. If you heat air, it expands, if you cool it it contracts. It's a very simple idea, for a very simple engine."

You can also find websites which sell commercial versions with complete assembly instructions.

I've never put one together, but they look like a lot of fun!

Answer 4

Controls and sensors in the home:

Thermostats used with heating systems.

Some homes have motion detectors on exterior lights

Stoves and ovens have temperature detectors that allow heat control.

Refrigerators: temperature sensor and control

Smoke detectors.

Remote control devices for tv sets and garage doors.

Computer disk drives.