Spike Prime - Fractions with Gears

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Let's begin

Fractions...

Build

Model:

Pictures:

Building instructions:

• Fractions with Gears - version 1 - Basic (PNG)
• Fractions with Gears - version 2 - Rotated Gear Frame of v2 (PNG)
• Fractions with Gears - version 3 - Even More Slow (PNG)

Download building instructions:

• Fractions with Gears v1 - basic (pdf)
• Fractions with Gears v2 - Rotated Gear Frame of v1 (pdf)
• Fractions with Gears v3 - Even More Slow (pdf)

Download stud.io model:

• Fractions with Gears v1 - basic (stud.io)
• Fractions with Gears v1 - Rotated Gear Frame of v1 (stud.io)
• Fractions with Gears v3 - Even More Slow (stud.io)

...description...

Connections:

• motor - B
• light sensor - A

Programs

Download:

• fractions_with_gears.llsp

...description...

Measure, analyze, think

• Make your own recording
• Perform experiments with your model and discuss in your group what has happened.

Explore and modify

• Pick one of the three versions, build it
• Make your own drawing of the gear systems (i.e. on paper)
• Write down the numbers of teeth on each pair of the gear wheels
• Figure out the ratio of each pair of gear wheels
• Make or calculate your guess about the final ratio of gear wheels
• Perform measurement with the model and program and compare
• Try to invent some other combinations of gears, repeat the whole procedure with them (this can be an alternative project for an advanced group instead of the above)
• Could you list all the possible combinations using these 8 gear wheels that could be built?

Present

• Think about a manual transmission in cars, how does it work? And how does automatic transmission work?
• What do fractions have to do with the car transmission?
• Is it only the speed of rotation that is being changed in the gear box? What else?

Additional resources

• Download: Fractions with Gears - all media files