Entrepreneurial Science
Participants learn about the economics of science by forming a company to design a self-propelled object.
In this workshop, participants will form a company to design, build and test a self-propelled object. Each group will assign roles to delegate tasks within their company. They will participate in an auction and form a budget to purchase materials for their invention. The groups will test their prototype and adjust their design accordingly. At the end of the workshop, the groups will present their invention and learn about the scientific principles (sources of energy, forces) involved in their design and how it contributed to their results.
What You Need
Physical Requirements
- Space for participants to work in groups on their self-propelled objects.
- Area to test their designs (i.e. floor, hallway).
- Space to set up for the auction and to set up the store.
General
- Rules to post on board or overhead for Introduction
- Entrepreneurial Science- Self Propelled Object Proposal Form (worksheet)
- Scrap paper
- Let’s Talk Science “money” ($50/$100 bills)
- Signs- $100, $50, TOOLS
Choose some of the materials from each category (except tools) to make up auction kits and have other materials available at the store.
Energy Sources
- Balloons
- Elastics
- Baking soda and vinegar
Building Materials
- Paper clips
- Craft sticks
- String
- Coarse
- Fishing line
- Straws
- Narrow
- Thick
- Bendy
- Pipe cleaners
- Bottle tops
- Clothes pegs
- Film canisters (with lids)
- Styrofoam
- Toothpicks
- Coffee stir sticks
Bodies
- Assorted boxes
- Margarine containers
- Styrofoam or plastic cups
- Styrofoam or paper plates
- Paper towel rolls
- Milk cartons
- Egg cartons
- Aluminum trays
- Yogurt containers
- Berry baskets
- Plastic pop or water bottles
Tools
- Masking tape
- Packing tape
- Duct tape
- White glue
- Hammers
- Safety glasses
- Blocks of wood
- Nails
- Measuring tape
- Stopwatches
- Scissors
- Small craft knives
Guide:
Safety Notes
Safety glasses must be worn while using tools such as hammers and nails.
What To Do
Activity Prep
- Create auction kits using some of the materials from each category (except tools).
- Set up a store at the front of the room for participants to purchase additional materials.
- Write out the Activity Instructions on the classroom board or on a poster board.
- Print copies of the Entrepreneurial Science- Self Propelled Object Proposal Form worksheet (1 per group).
Introduction
- Discuss what constitutes an invention and examples of famous inventions and inventors.
- Briefly define entrepreneur.
- Tell participants that they are going to invent a self-propelled object!
- Define self-propelled.
- Go over instructions for the workshop.
Part 1: Designing
- Participants will split into groups of 3 to 5 people.
- Each group will choose a company name, an invention name and assign roles (president, purchasing agent, engineer and 1 or 2 scientists).
- Hand out worksheets and scrap paper to each group.
- If designing before the auction, allow participants to look at the kits before working on their design.
- As the groups are designing, hand out $1000 of Let’s Talk Science money to the purchasing agent of each group. Make sure they count the money to verify the amount.
- To make sure they count the money, hand a few groups $50 more or less.
Part 2: Auction
- Have the purchasing agents come forward to bid on the kits. Be as creative as you want when calling out prices. You can set a minimum bid at $50 or $100. Each group must purchase a kit.
- When a group has “won” the kit, the purchasing agent can sit down until all groups have purchased a kit. They may then take the supplies and start building their invention.
Part 3: Building
- Participants may purchase supplies from the store with their remaining money. If they are done building their invention, they should perform tests (see worksheet) to determine distance travelled and velocity.
- Optional: add additional rules into this part of the workshop (i.e. fines for stealing, Copyright patents, environmental waste fees, etc…).
Wrap-up
- Have each group present their self-propelled object to the rest of the class.
- Use the questions on the back of the worksheet to guide the presentations.
- As each group answers “What is the scientific principle involved?”, go over the science behind why their self-propelled object moved (or didn’t move).
- Discuss possible careers related to the topics covered and they would need to do (schooling, experience, etc…) to get into those careers.
Discovery
Balloon
Molecules have a tendency to move from areas of high pressure to low pressure. This helps to explain why a balloon moves forward when the air comes rushing out of it. Bernoulli’s principle is a law governing the motion of fluids. It states that pressure (the force per unit area exerted by a liquid or a gas on a surface) is inversely related to flow velocity. When a balloon is blown up and released, the air rapidly rushes out of the balloon, creating a low pressure area directly behind the balloon. The air molecules all in the high pressure balloon rushes towards the low pressure area and pushes the balloon forward.
Elastics
Elasticity is the ability of a material to resume its original shape and size after being stretched/compressed by an external force. In the case of an elastic, the potential energy (the energy in which is stored by a body or system because of its position, shape or state) increases by exactly the amount of work used to stretch it. When a stretched elastic is released, the potential energy turns into kinetic energy (the energy possessed by an object as a result of its own motion) as the object is propelled forward. Balloons are also made out of elastic material.
Baking Soda + Vinegar
Chemical energy is the energy stored in systems that releases during chemical reactions. Vinegar (acetic acid) reacts with baking soda (calcium carbonate) to produce calcium acetate, carbon dioxide gas and water. When baking soda and vinegar is mixed in a container (e.g. a film canister), the production of carbon dioxide gas increases the pressure within the container. If enough carbon dioxide gas is produced, it can eventually push the lid off the canister. Similar to what happens with a deflating balloon, the gas molecules will move from an area of high pressure (container) to low pressure (outside) and push the container forward.
Friction
The force of friction is another factor that is likely to affect the ability of the inventions to move forward. Friction is the force that prevents things from sliding, flowing or rolling past each other when they are in contact. The inventions have to overcome the force of friction in order to be able to move forward. Irregularities on the surface of the objects and small indents that form when objects pass each other may increase friction. Friction can be reduced by lubrication, smoothing surfaces and reducing the surface areas that are in contact.
However, some friction is needed to provide traction to allow the object to move forward and to control the movement (i.e., a car stuck in the snow or sliding on ice). Friction can be increased by using rubbery materials that indent, increasing surface area that is in contact and roughing up the surfaces.
Failure is an important part of learning. The initial idea is only the very first step in a long process. Many ideas look good on paper, but once plans are made oftentimes unforeseen problems often require us to re-evaluate or re-design our initial idea. We can learn a lot from our mistakes!
- The participants can design their self-propelled object before or after the auction.
- If short on time, randomly hand out kits via a draw. This allows you to skip the auction and move straight to designing. Give each group only $600.
- If water is available, they may choose to design a boat as their self-propelled object. If this is the case, a large container (such as the workshop tote) along with plenty of paper towels for clean-up is required.
Wyatt, V. (1987). Everything you want to know about inventions: An Amazing Investigation. Toronto: Greey de Pencier Books.
Roberts, R. and Roberts, J. (1995). Lucky Science: Accidental Discoveries from Gravity to Velcro. Toronto: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Walffson, D. (1997). The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle. New York: Puffin Books.
Attachments
- Entrepreneurial Science - Guide
- Entrepreneurial Science Instruction Sheet
- Entrepreneurial Science Worksheet (Self Propelled Object Proposal Form)
- $50 Bills
- $100 Bills
- Entrepreneurial Science Signs
What's Happening?
Balloon
Molecules have a tendency to move from areas of high pressure to low pressure. This helps to explain why a balloon moves forward when the air comes rushing out of it. Bernoulli’s principle is a law governing the motion of fluids. It states that pressure (the force per unit area exerted by a liquid or a gas on a surface) is inversely related to flow velocity. When a balloon is blown up and released, the air rapidly rushes out of the balloon, creating a low pressure area directly behind the balloon. The air molecules all in the high pressure balloon rushes towards the low pressure area and pushes the balloon forward.
Elastics
Elasticity is the ability of a material to resume its original shape and size after being stretched/compressed by an external force. In the case of an elastic, the potential energy (the energy in which is stored by a body or system because of its position, shape or state) increases by exactly the amount of work used to stretch it. When a stretched elastic is released, the potential energy turns into kinetic energy (the energy possessed by an object as a result of its own motion) as the object is propelled forward. Balloons are also made out of elastic material.
Baking Soda + Vinegar
Chemical energy is the energy stored in systems that releases during chemical reactions. Vinegar (acetic acid) reacts with baking soda (calcium carbonate) to produce calcium acetate, carbon dioxide gas and water. When baking soda and vinegar is mixed in a container (e.g. a film canister), the production of carbon dioxide gas increases the pressure within the container. If enough carbon dioxide gas is produced, it can eventually push the lid off the canister. Similar to what happens with a deflating balloon, the gas molecules will move from an area of high pressure (container) to low pressure (outside) and push the container forward.
Friction
The force of friction is another factor that is likely to affect the ability of the inventions to move forward. Friction is the force that prevents things from sliding, flowing or rolling past each other when they are in contact. The inventions have to overcome the force of friction in order to be able to move forward. Irregularities on the surface of the objects and small indents that form when objects pass each other may increase friction. Friction can be reduced by lubrication, smoothing surfaces and reducing the surface areas that are in contact.
However, some friction is needed to provide traction to allow the object to move forward and to control the movement (i.e., a car stuck in the snow or sliding on ice). Friction can be increased by using rubbery materials that indent, increasing surface area that is in contact and roughing up the surfaces.
Why Does it Matter?
Failure is an important part of learning. The initial idea is only the very first step in a long process. Many ideas look good on paper, but once plans are made oftentimes unforeseen problems often require us to re-evaluate or re-design our initial idea. We can learn a lot from our mistakes!
Investigate Further
- The participants can design their self-propelled object before or after the auction.
- If short on time, randomly hand out kits via a draw. This allows you to skip the auction and move straight to designing. Give each group only $600.
- If water is available, they may choose to design a boat as their self-propelled object. If this is the case, a large container (such as the workshop tote) along with plenty of paper towels for clean-up is required.
Resources
Wyatt, V. (1987). Everything you want to know about inventions: An Amazing Investigation. Toronto: Greey de Pencier Books.
Roberts, R. and Roberts, J. (1995). Lucky Science: Accidental Discoveries from Gravity to Velcro. Toronto: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Walffson, D. (1997). The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle. New York: Puffin Books.
Attachments
- Entrepreneurial Science - Guide
- Entrepreneurial Science Instruction Sheet
- Entrepreneurial Science Worksheet (Self Propelled Object Proposal Form)
- $50 Bills
- $100 Bills
- Entrepreneurial Science Signs
