Make-A-Bot: Volume Project

thingiverse

The TYWLS Bot uploaded is the final product students will create in the make-a-bot volume project. Students will build a robot using parameters such as only cones, cylinders, spheres, and prisms, along with a maximum volume. Next, they will calculate the total volume of the bot, converting from inches to grams and incorporating a 10% infill. Overview and Background Students learn how to calculate complex shapes' volumes using formulas for cones, cylinders, and spheres. Objectives By the end of this project/lesson, students can: • Demonstrate calculating complex 3D shapes' volumes including cones, cylinders, and spheres. • Show knowledge of CAD software through robot construction on TinkerCAD. • Convert cubic inches to grams. Audience 8th Grade or Pre-Algebra Mathematics Subject: Math Volume Skills Learned (Standard) • Solve real-world problems involving volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres with 8.G.C Lesson Plan and Activity Students complete this activity over 4-5 class periods in pairs. Suggestions for planning time are below: • Before Class Prep: Show a printed model & corresponding TinkerCAD model to the class, discuss expectations. • Day 1: Students brainstorm & design on worksheet I. • Day 2-3: Students create a 3D model of their design in TinkerCAD, improving their original design. • Day 3 Homework: If not completed in class, students calculate the entire robot's volume using worksheet II and compare work next lesson. • Day 4: Review homework calculations, make last adjustments to the robot before submitting worksheet III for verification on Makerbot Desktop. Ideally, worksheets can be uploaded to Google Docs and shared with students so they can add screenshots directly into the worksheet and print to submit/work on. Extension Activity After completing the project, printed bots are taken to science class for volume verification using water displacement.