Engineering

In the 1850s, railways were used to move coal from one location to another using only the force of gravity and a hand-brake to slow down. By the 1870s, thrill-seekers recognized the potential fun in this gravity-driven contraption. Create a two-rail marble roller coaster. Plan the path of your marble. Embrace centripetal force to keep the marble on the track through a banked curve. Each creation is unique. Test your track and your friends.

Following in the footsteps of local toy-maker, A.C. Gilbert, we introduce our take on the popular Erector Set.

Design a car with interchangeable parts. Our wooden girder system provides a world of possibilities. Young designers can depend on the consistency of the parts to envision a unique design. Combine girders, wheels, and dowels to solve a design challenge. Test out your invention, adjust it, and try again. The possibilities are endless!

Gravity and Friction, two forces we encounter constantly, can be harnessed to our advantage. Learn to put these forces to good use by building a car whose speed depends on weight, starting height, and gravity. Can you design a car with the greatest potential energy? This is your opportunity to make predictions and record your hypotheses. Distribute weights in various ways and learn what works best. Get creative and design a car that is truly yours. Further explore friction on different surfaces. Keep investigating for days to come!

Assemble and decorate the wheels, axles, chassis and driver of a wooden downhill racer. Then experiment with your creation.. Measure the distance it travels from the end of its track on a ramp. Change the pitch of the track and measure again. A wonderful hands-on exploration of measurement, gravity, friction, and energy.

Our Paddlewheel boat is inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci's study of water. Da Vinci envisioned boats that the future would bring, drawing them in his notebooks. Construct and test his paddlewheel boat. Our design is powered by a rubber band. During the warmer months, you can test it out in our water lab for the complete experience. 

The Whitney Relay is a set of interconnectable parts that lets students master the art and science of energy transfer in the tradition of the Rube Goldberg Machine or its contemporary Japanese masterpiece: the Pythagoras Switch. Each student receives ramps,  marbles, blocks, and assorted parts to construct a chain reaction that could include your whole class—thoughtful lessons in mechanics, invention, and teamwork. 

This project spans the ages and is a popular program for Adult Professional Development groups. We can use it as a hands-on means to teach a variety of concepts.

A battery's current flows in one direction. The clever arrangement of switches can reverse the direction of flow through a motor. Construct a controller with a battery, motor, and ultralight buggy that can go forward or backward. Learn wiring logic, precision, and troubleshooting. Test and play, experiment and investigate.
 

A popular project that teaches game design (beginnings, middles and ends), logic (rewards for difficulty), marble movement (caroms, momentum) and creative design (good games must still attract players.) A rare exploration of the work of play. Use marbles, a launcher, hurdles, and more to devise and personalize your own Pinball Machine. Figure out your own rules, scoring, and goals. Play with friends, test, adjust and keep going.

Explore the ancient history and challenging mechanics of catapults. Rubber bands power this model. Experiment with the concepts of force and motion and test your projects out with varying degrees of power by changing the number of rubber bands used and the position of the ping pong balls. 

Safe for people and places when used with the ping pong ball provided.

Inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s self propelled cart design in 1478, students construct cars powered by rubber bands and measure their performance. They will test their cars, make alterations and predictions. Students will gain lively insights into the mechanics, measurement and math of motion. Force and Motion, experimentation, and design all come together to make new discoveries. Great for a followup program on creative elaboration. Exploration and problem solving become obvious when a student has to question why someone's car went further or faster.