Engineering Outreach Presented by Dominic Nolan. The Royal Academy of Engineering

Objectives Delegates will know / be able to / will understand… How The Royal Academy of Engineering supports STEM outreach Receive hands-on experience of an outreach resource Evaluate an outreach activity Identify areas of development for outreach activity

Engineering Outreach The London Engineering Project (LEP) Strengthen engineering by widening participation in engineering higher education, seeking the active participation of under-represented groups i.e. women, students from certain minority ethnic groups and students from families with no experience of higher education. The Engaging Engineering Project (EEnP)

Athlete or Machine?

Investigate the big question: athlete or machine? Practical activities and testing Mathematics activities Science activities Engineer/athlete video Student led Independent investigation Higher level thinking Scheme of work for STEM day or STEM club

Make a 1:5 bob skeleton sled 90 minute make Cheap materials Basic tools and equipment Make a launcher

Make some timing gates (if you have the time) Launch pressure consistency

Bob Skeleton 1500m track 150 m vertical drop 143 km/h (40 m/s, 89 mph) Athletes times differ by tenths of seconds Rules for sled’s dimensions, mass and materials 33 – 43 kg sled Amy Williams - Olympic gold

CHALLENGE Make a model of a bob skeleton sled See how far you can launch a Barbie! Present an answer to the question: Athlete or Machine? Which is more important in the sport of bob skeleton?

Make a 1:5 bob skeleton sled Make the runners by bending the metal rod Attach runners to pod with cable ties Make sled’s launch tube using acetate sheet, tape and a plastic nose cone (check that it fits onto the pump’s launch tube) Fix the launch tube to the pod with double-sided sticky pads

Launch the model bob skeleton sled. Launch Barbie!

Factors Weight The athlete’s shape The athlete’s position Aerodynamic lift Steering Clothing and equipment Starting Corners Ergonomics (how the body fits a product) Track incline (the slope down the length of the track) Friction on the ice Aerodynamic drag (air resistance) Tuning the characteristics of the skeleton Material choice Sled runners

Mathematics and science activities

Potential Energy (PE) = m x g x h Change in PE for our athlete and sled = Joules (J) Kinetic Energy (KE) = ½ x m x v x 97 kg x (40.23 x 40.23) = J Amy Williams max speed Max speed if all PE transferred into KE Mass (m) of athlete and sled = 97kg Vertical drop of track (h) = 152m 1450m (diagram not to scale) Gravity (g) = 9.81 m/s 2 Energy transfer Why isn’t the all of the athlete’s and sled’s potential energy transferred into kinetic energy?

Calculating friction force F f =  x m x g F f = …………………………  =Mu, the coefficient of friction (steel on ice = 0.03). m =Mass (kg). g =The acceleration due to the gravity, which is 9.81 m/s 2. What is the friction force acting on the runners of a bob skeleton sled and athlete with the combined mass of 97 kg (athlete = 68 kg, sled = 29 kg)? N

Calculating drag force F DRAG = ½ x  x C D x A f x V 2 F DRAG = ………………………….  =1.2 kg/m 3 (density of air) C D =0.45(drag coefficient of athlete and sled) A f =0.139 m 2 (frontal area of athlete and sled) V =40 m/s(velocity) Calculate the drag force acting on the athlete and sled as they travel down the track at 40 m/s? N

What is the total force resisting the forward movement of the athlete and her sled down the track? F TOTAL = …………………………………… Between which velocities is friction force dominant? ……………………………………………….. Between which velocities is drag force dominant? ……………………………………………….. You can compare the two forces on the graph here Speed in metres/second (m/s) Force in Newtons (N) 88.56N

Prove that it is better to be heavy and narrow when competing in The sport of bob skeleton. ATHLETE 1 Total mass: 97 kg A f : m 2 ATHLETE 2 Total mass: 100 kg A f : m 2 Friction N Drag N Total N Friction N Drag N Total N

Athlete or Machine? Which is more important in the sport of bob skeleton? Discuss this question with your partner/team Present your answer to the rest of the group

Discussion What is good about this activity? How would you change or improve the activity? How well would this activity work for your organisation? Who would benefit and how? Which members of staff would you need to involve? Do you have the room? Would you need to buy extra equipment or resources? What are the barriers to success and how could they be removed? What are the strengths of your current outreach activities and how could they be developed?