STEM Unit - Mechanisms
STEM Unit - Mechanisms
STEM Learning Environment – Mechanisms
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and usually refers to education in one or more of these disciplines.
Successful STEM service-learning programs are those that seek out these communities and provide student participants with the opportunity to:
- Use the knowledge and skills of one or more STEM discipline(s) to identify and address community problems;
- Collaborate with peers and community members to set and achieve goals; and
- Develop skills and attitudes useful for the workplace and for participating in civic affairs.
Mission
Our mission is that all students in the Sayville Middle School Technology Program, have the knowledge and skills needed for success in education, work and their daily lives. To promote high-quality education in science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Values
Using both a simulation of a mechanical systems trainer and the real hardware version, students construct and test a range of mechanisms to evaluate them against design criteria. A wide range of different systems that incorporate gear wheels, belt drives and pulleys are tested. The problem solving tasks test the student’s ingenuity and strengthen their applied maths skills.
Topic areas include:
- Mechanical Systems and Motion
- Gear Trains
- Changing Axis of Rotation with Gears
- Belt Drives
- Pulleys
- Levers
- Cams and Cranks
- Inclined Planes
- Friction
- Problem Solving
Activities include:
- Identify the different types of motion found in mechanical systems.
- Demonstrate the effect of using an idler gear in a simple gear train.
- Determine compound gear train ratios and speed.
- Identify the purpose of belt drives.
- Demonstrate the relationship between distance and effort for a pulley system.
- Measure effort and movement for first, second and third class levers.
- Demonstrate how the profile of a cam affects the output of the cam follower.
- Calculate the mechanical advantage provided by an inclined plane.
- Identify how lubricants, bushes and bearings are used to reduce friction.
Performance objectives are included for our ClassAct or ClassCampus management systems to generate a comprehensive portfolio of student reports.