Engineering Fun & Frustration

R.M.S.C. Second Saturday

Engineer-It 

The boys decided to start (in their now favorite room ~ Computer Lab~ That had 4 engineering  areas.

For "Runaway Train" they needed to build a device that would save the people on the train.  Sadly, Pumpkin's first try did not work, so back to the 'drawing board'.

Fireball Coyote's first try succeeded.

Re-configuring.

This time less people fell off. Pumpkin tried four times and some one always fell off.  

"The Smasher" ~ They were to design a structure that would survive the smasher.

When Pumpkin was done here he tried his fourth try with the train and lost 1 person.

Fireball Coyote's basically survived, the foam cup was a bit smashed.

While Fireball Coyote was working on his, Pumpkin built a foil boat that was to hold pennies.  Pumpkin had the most with 83 pennies!!! :-)

"Race Your Engin-eer!"  was where they put a lawn mower engine together and took it apart, all timed!  The first 3 winners got a prize.  Together they put it together in 2 min. 23 sec. (4th place) and Pumpkin & I took it apart in 1 min. (2nd place).

There was 2 rooms where there was some observe activities.  Two robotics school teams were showing their work and Milliken demoed things.  One of the things the school kids developed was a robot that shoots basketballs.

We moved on to another building and they did some engineering work with states of matter, sponsored by Fluor.

This one was called "Make a Block and Tackle".  Here they learned that 2.2lbs are in a kilogram and how to make things easier to lift with a pulley.

Pumpkin moved on to "Materials Structures and Bridges".  

We left there to go see "Super Cool Cryogenics Show", by Milliken, with a real scientist demonstrating the use of Liquid Nitrogen!!! (7N)

Here, he put a piece of dry ice in water and we watched it rise out of the beaker and talked about the properties of it.

(sorry for the bad picture) Here he had Liquid Nitrogen in the container and blew up a balloon.  He put it  in the 7N and it shrunk.  He placed it in a glass jar and we watched it.   

Expand and grow

out of the jar.  Not what he wanted to happen.  So he did it again and the second balloon busted as it  approached the top. 

Putting a light bulb without the glass into 7N. 

Drawing a picture on a metal cabinet and a guy welded it out.

Clemson University Civil Engineers designed a concrete boat that floats.

When we got home Pumpkin used his metal detector he received Friday from his "aunt".

            

Then they moved on to the foam puzzle from Fluor and became very frustrated putting it together.

Played with the balloons form their work.

                                

They also played with the Lego's Fireball Coyote got.