Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Alaina Cox follows along as her electric K-Nex car travels at a slow and steady pace while her fellow eighth graders and gym teacher Chuck Barstad look on.
The winners and the consolation prize from last week's car demonstration at the Glasgow Middle School pose for a photo. From left to rigth: Keigan Ingram poses with his "hard luck" trophy after snapping a rat trap onto his finger and breaking his car in the process; Michael Hoyer holds his third place trophy and his compressed air powered car; Riley Smith holds his second place trophy and his electric car; and the champion of the event, Ava Lloyd, shows off her Gold Trophy and her electric-powered Zamboni.
Glasgow Middle School eighth-graders demonstrated their command of physics, motion, design, construction and flare Jan. 11 in the middle school gym. The challenge was part of their science class, taught by Wade Nelson, in which they were to design a car using any means of propulsion available to them that would travel quickly and accurately across the gym floor.
Students were assessed for speed, how straight and how far the car travelled. If a car veered off course then the total distance off center it travelled was subtracted by the total distance travelled. The speed of the car was also factored. The last element of the grading was that of design creativity and effort judged by a panel of school faculty.
With some notable attempts, the cars did not disappoint and more often then not the students were successful in propelling their cars at least part-way down the gym floor. Methods used for propulsion included compressed air, rubber bands, spring-loaded rat and mouse traps, tape measures and electricity.
"Electricity is obviously the most reliable," commented Nelson, "But I was happy with [Michael] Hoyer who used air-pressure." Nelson stated that the display caps off the end of their physics unit and that a packet describing their efforts was also part of the test, which is graded.
Nelson tries to make the assignment entertaining and engaging saying the project was in its, "fourth year and I think every year stuff looks a little different." Nelson commented that some family support from parents and older siblings is notable but he added, "There is always some kid that comes out of the woods with something."
Nelson was pleased this year with the result saying, "I was happy. I thought the ones that were top ten and the run-off went well and I was really happy with it." Of the top placing car, a Zamboni built by Ava Lloyd, Nelson commented, "It was well done and she really put a lot into getting that front axle just right."
For seventh-graders Nelson also conducts an egg-drop experiment where the students attempt to build a device that will protect an egg from a fall of roughly three stories up. That display will be held in the spring.
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