20 Questions: Can You Stump the Machine?

Here is an inventive plan that should get your young scientists excited! In it, groups of pupils test out the work done by six different simple machines. The machines are: the wedge, the lever, the inclined plane, the pulley, the screw,...

Don't kick the resource to the curb; you'll definitely regret it. Future engineers devise a kicking machine that launches a ping-pong ball toward a target. They can use a pendulum, a rubber band, or both, depending on whether they want...

And thus the story ends. After a betrayal by her robot companion, the heroine of the story must find a way through a maze. Successful completion of the maze unlocks a crystal that will help save the world. By watching the video, pupils...

A Rube Goldberg machine does not really look like it would make work easier. Introduce your class to Rube Goldberg with a resource that shows how his inventions make simple tasks harder to complete. 

Challenge your classes to find the pattern of a double function machine. After recording the outputs of both machines, learners identify the pattern and the corresponding function. Both patterns involve adding/subtracting a constant.

What will flying look like in the future? The 21st lesson in a 22-part unit on aviation reviews the major aspects of the lesson. Pupils brainstorm ideas of a future flying machine.

Machines can be so helpful sometimes. A simple interactive has learners enter input values for a function machine and observe output values. These values help determine a function that represents the input-output relationship in the...

Watch as a function machine converts an input to an output. Learners determine the work applied by the function machine to write a function rule. Questions accompany the function machine animation to guide individuals to conclusions.

Model function operations using a function machine. An interactive lesson has learners determine the patterns of a double function machine. They use the patterns to write functions and make connections between the inputs and outputs.

What goes in must come out! Learners play with a function machine to determine the correct function. They enter input values and watch as the machine produces the output.