Archimedes Screw Bonanza

thingiverse

The Archimedes screw is believed to have been invented by Archimedes, one of the world's most brilliant scientists, in the 3rd century BC. This device was primarily used to transport water from lower ground to higher ground for irrigation, flood prevention, and other purposes. Interestingly, it is still widely used today in various applications. In this lesson plan, students will design, build, and test a device that converts one form of energy into another within given constraints. The activity was designed for 11th-12th grade engineering or physics classes, with an emphasis on 3D modeling skills. Materials needed include two bowls (lower and upper basin), computers with a 3D design program installed, plenty of filament, glue, water, and optional materials such as honey, cheerios, gravel, etc. Students will work in groups to design, print, test, and iterate their screw designs over several days. Day 1: Student planning Students measure the basins, distance needed to cover, and begin planning their screw design. Day 2-6: Student design, print, test, iterate Given that these are large prints, students should emphasize testing small sections first before printing out their entire assembly. More detailed notes on the sample design below. Day 7-8: Finalize design, complete assembly and test Students finalize and assemble their full designs and get in last-minute tests before the official testing. Day 9: TEST! Each group demonstrates their design by showing how much water they can transport from the lower basin to the upper basin in 30 seconds. Day 10: Reflection Discuss the different designs. Which worked best? Which adjustments proved most effective? If you were to re-design, what would you change? Optional Extension Activity: Provide each group a different material (i.e., honey, cheerios, etc.) to have them think about what modifications would need to be made to accommodate these different materials. Computers with 3D design program of choice installed Plenty of filament - Student designs will be 3D printed and will likely take several iterations. Try to group prints together and utilize overnight printing if possible. Glue - for assembling the screws. I used just super glue. Water Optional: Other material for students to move with their designs (i.e., honey, cheerios, gravel, etc.) References: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-archimedes-screw.htm http://www.famousscientists.org/archimedes/ http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:96462 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:79245 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:42755 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:656194