Fourth Grade Engineers Visit the Upper Campus


On November 12th and December 9th, fourth grade students traveled to the Upper Campus to meet with physics teacher, Charlie Duveen, at the Rippowam Applied Physics Laboratory. Given only a few materials — a helium filled gas container (balloon), a platform (Dixie cup), shroud and tether lines (sewing thread), ballast (a lump of clay), and adhesive (masking tape) — these young engineers worked in teams to construct and test the slowest-rising launch vehicle.

As part of their math lessons on velocity, the objective for each design team was to create its own unique launch vehicle and to collect the necessary data (distance traveled and time) so that the team could calculate the vehicle's upward velocity. In his briefing to the students, Mr. Duveen told them that the key to success in meeting this challenge was to work as a team. "Good teammates," he said, "help each other to solve problems, supporting one another, even when things go wrong."

There are four reasons why this task is especially challenging. First, the vehicle must continuously rise until it reaches the ceiling; secondly, the only variable to change velocity is the amount of ballast; thirdly, in any engineering venture, stuff goes wrong. All the teams had only ten minutes to complete the build and test phases of this project while recording the time-of-flight for several test trials. Finally, it is easy to make a fast launch vehicle, but creating the slowest, continuously-rising vehicle is a real trick. This is pretty much how engineers bring applied physics and mathematics together.

This particular challenge took some real teamwork. Through thick and thin, the design teams persevered, recording data over several trials, and adjusting the ballast on successive launches to improve its performance.

As we all know too well, not every engineering project goes smoothly. Some teams lost the gas container and had penalty points to pay for getting another one to replace it. One team's launch vehicle was complete, and in testing, when the gas container exploded (popped). The team had to start all over with new materials and less time, but prevail they did, as any good team will do, in spite of the setbacks.

Since fourth graders already understood how to use area and perimeter formulas, fourth grade math teacher, Babs Johnson, created activities using the velocity formula. Children ran different distances and used a stop watch to record their times to hundredths of a second. They actually calculated their personal velocity, accurate to two decimal places. Even the concept of acceleration, a change in velocity, came up during their discussions. By the time the fourth grade engineering teams arrived at the Upper Campus to work on launch vehicles, they were experts at the mathematics involved.

Mr. Duveen ended each session with a discussion about helium and balloon safety. The dangers of balloons as a choking hazard to infants is well documented. The helium in industrial cylinders brought into the home must be supervised by adults.  The helium itself is not purified for human consumption (inhalation) and the reducer valve on a tank has too much pressure if used to inhale the helium and could damage the lungs.

Babs Johnson coordinated the field trip with 4th grade teachers, Harriet Doniger, Gail Laird, Stephanie Kaplan, and assistant teachers Adrienne Adorno and Eliza Tighe. Penny Jennings, Head of the Lower Campus, came to watch her students working effectively in teams and having fun doing it.
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Rippowam Cisqua School
439 Cantitoe Street 
Bedford, NY 10506
phone: (914) 244-1250
Rippowam Cisqua School is a PreK-Grade 9 independent day school in Westchester County, New York. RCS offers challenging academics built on innovation, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, wellness, leadership, service learning, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
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