Periodic Table of Elements "Puzzle"

thingiverse

This educational project was created to help students master the correct placement of all the elements on the Periodic Table. I aimed to design something that couldn't be achieved with paper alone. Online research revealed four new elements added to the Periodic Table, prompting me to develop an interactive "puzzle" to address this challenge. However, I ran out of time to print the entire project and still meet the deadline, but I successfully completed two test prints that demonstrate its functionality. Print Settings Printer Brand: Printrbot Printer: Simple Black Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: No Important Notes: If your printer has a 6x6x6 inch build volume, you can scale down this project to 0.60 and it will fit perfectly. For color-coding the pieces like in picture two, I recommend using Netfabb to cut the parts apart. How I Designed This Designing this project was an engaging experience due to the sheer number of elements that needed to be designed and their corresponding abbreviations written. pieces: For each piece, I employed the text tool in 123d design to write the abbreviation for the element it would represent. Next, I used the extrusion tool to give the text a three-dimensional appearance. After centering the text within the piece, I moved it upward and utilized it as a cutting tool to add the text to the piece. This process was repeated for every element. Board: Firstly, I designed the shape of the board. Then, I made a copy of all the pieces and scaled them up to 1.05, using them as cutting tools to create holes for the pieces. Subsequently, I added the text to the top and employed the sketch tool to draw a dovetail design that would be used to cut the board in half, creating dovetail joints to connect the two pieces after printing. Project: Mastering the Periodic Table of Elements Objectives: Learn the Periodic Table of Elements Audiences: This project is ideal for students in grades 8-10, provided the teacher or school deems it suitable. Preparation: Students will be expected to familiarize themselves with the Periodic Table of Elements before attempting this project. Step 1: Introduce the project by starting to teach about the Periodic Table of Elements. Step 2: Have students practice with the 'puzzle'. Step 3: Have students complete the Puzzle and grade it. Result: By the end of this project, students should have mastered the placement of all elements in the Periodic Table of Elements. Teachers can award two points per piece: one for correctly placing the piece within its designated area and another for accurately positioning it within that space.