ArcKit Architectural Design
CORE CONCEPTS FOR ArcKit:
POP students are challenged to use the architectural design process to build a scale model of their own house with Arckit.
During the design process, architects do research and gather information about the project. Architects try to answer these questions during this phase:
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What is the purpose of the structure?
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Who will use the structure, and what are their needs?
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Where will the structure be built?
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How big will it need to be?
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How big is the budget (amount of money) for this project?
IQ Key Construction Kit
CORE CONCEPTS:
POP students will learn:
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Principles of simple and compound machines
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Principles of dynamics including force and mechanical advantage
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What is mechanical work and how it is calculated?
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How different types of gears work
K''nex STEM Building Kits
POP students will expand on their knowledge of simple machines. Learn about force, work, gear ratios and mechanical advantage. Build gear systems and machines that use gear systems and explore how they help us do difficult jobs.
POP students will:
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How gears create mechanical advantage
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How to calculate and measure the mechanical advantage of a gear system
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Types of machines that use gear systems
Gears can create a mechanical advantage by using different size gears with different circumferences. If one gear is wider than another connected gear, they may have the same rotational speed, but the outer edge of the larger gear still has to cover more distance than the smaller gear in order to complete a full rotation. In other words, the larger gear's teeth move slower around the circle than those of the smaller gear.
By increasing the size of a gear, it also causes the gear to produce more rotational force or torque.
This is the basis for how gear trains trade rotational speed for force. Smaller gears have faster-moving teeth but produce less torque, while larger gears have slower-moving teeth but can produce more torque.