Engage Gear

Gears are used in tons of mechanical devices. They do several important jobs, but most important, they provide a gear reduction in motorized equipment. This is key because, often, a small motor spinning very fast can provide enough power for a device, but not enough torque. For instance, an electric screwdriver has a very large gear reduction because it needs lots of torque to turn screws, bu¬t the motor only produces a small amount of torque at a high speed. With a gear reduction, the output speed can be reduced while the torque is increased.

Engage Gear
Materials Needed: Two Nails, Glue, Thread Spools, Jar Lids, Card board, Sandpaper.





Glue the sandpaper strips around the edges of the lids and glue the spools to the bottom of the lids.











Push the two nails through the cardboard. These serve as the axels for your gear wheel.










Place a different size lid on each nail. Turn the lids using another thread spool as a handle.

Standards:

0507.Inq.1 Identify specific investigations
that could be used to answer a particular
question and identify reasons for this choice.

0507.Inq.2 Identify tools needed to
investigate specific questions.

Mini Lesson Plan