Crack the Cam Lock Turn the dial to line up notches in three cams and open the safe door. This models how cams are used in certain kinds of locks. physics, mechanics, machines, cams, locks, camshaft Technology Crank the Engine Turn the handle and watch as pistons move up and down inside cylinders to turn the engine's crankshaft below. Pistons and crankshafts interact within car engines to create movement in a car. physics, mechanics, machines, cams, crankshaft, camshaft, speed, pistons, engine, car Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Diff with a Difference Turn a handle and observe how separate and axles turn car wheels at different speeds. Try holding one wheel still and keep turning the handle to observe how the second wheel responds. This shows how simple machines work together to steer a car. physics, mechanics, machines, cams, crankshaft, camshaft, force, speed, wheels, car, steering Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Play with Pulleys Connect cassettes containing different sized pulleys to broadcast a song, or make a cartoon pelican fly. The size and combination of pulleys determines how fast they (and things that are attached) will spin. pulleys, size ratio, effort, speed Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Toying with Cams A toy caterpillar and toy dog have rods attached to parts of their body, so different camshafts make them ‘jump’ or ‘wriggle’ in different ways. This demonstrates how different shaped cam discs can influence the pattern and timing of how other things move. physics, mechanics, machines, cams, crankshaft, camshaft, force, speed Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology
Innovation Factory Exhibits about gears Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Gear Race Combine small, medium and large gears and turn a handle to race a toy camel and a toy horse along a track. Different sized gears can be used to magnify force or distance (speed) as mechanical advantage. physics, mechanics, machines, gears, force, speed, ratio Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Go Go Gears Interlock rows of different sized gears and make an illusion disc spin. Different sized gears can be used to magnify force or distance (speed) as mechanical advantage. physics, mechanics, machines, gears, force, speed, ratio Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Innovation Factory Exhibits about levers Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Levels of Levers Push or lift each lever to assess whether you need to use more or less effort, or you need to shift the lever more to lift the load. Different 'orders' or classes of levers have their fulcrum and load located in different positions relative to where effort is being used to work the lever. physics, mechanics, machines, levers, force, distance, class, order, effort, fulcrum, load, second-class, first order, second order, third order Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology
Innovation Factory Exhibits about pneumatics Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Amazing Air A team of people use pneumatic pistons and problem solving skills to roll a ball through the tilting maze. Pneumatic pistons use air to lift and lower heavy things. physics, mechanics, machines, pneumatics, pistons, air, pressure, force, area Physics – air pressure & fluid mechanics (hydraulics & aerodynamics) Technology Pascal's See Saw Push down the narrow piston and how the attached, wider piston moves, due to transferred pressure and force over an area. Changing the area or the pressure increases or decreases the force and the amount of work that can be done. physics, mechanics, machines, pneumatics, hydraulics, pistons, air, pressure, area Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Physics – air pressure & fluid mechanics (hydraulics & aerodynamics) Technology Pump it Up One narrow and one wide piston are pumped up to lift masses to a certain height. These show how pressure applied over an area generates a force that can do work. Changing the area or the pressure increases or decreases the force. physics, air, pressure, force, area, pneumatic, pistons, maze, team work, Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Physics – air pressure & fluid mechanics (hydraulics & aerodynamics) Technology Innovation Factory Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject
Exhibits about electricity Dynamo Spin a magnet past an iron bar wrapped in copper wire to generate an electric field and illuminate lights on a meter. This model dynamo shows one way of generating an electrical field. physics, mechanics, electricity, magnets, electromagnet, dynamo, generate, generator, power, energy Physics – electricity & magnetism Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Electric Face Use different generators (batteries, power pack, solar cell or hand crank) to animate a cartoon face. physics, mechanics, electricity, circuit, field, battery, energy Physics – electricity & magnetism Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Rock, Paper, Switches Two people press switches to complete an electric circuit and illuminate a rock, paper or scissors icon as part of this traditional game. The game can only be played when an electric field is generated within a closed circuit. physics, electricity, circuit, game, field, closed circuit Physics – electricity & magnetism Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology
Innovation Factory Exhibits about wheels Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Wheel Racer Roll sets of tapered wheels along a track to demonstrate how train wheels roll along train tracks. The shape of wheels determines how well they follow different shaped tracks. physics, mechanics, machines, wheels, track, rolling, circumference, rim Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Weights and Wheels Wheels spin differently depending on whether their mass is distributed around the rim, the centre, or evenly across the whole wheel. A wheel's rotational inertia changes when its mass is mostly located near the centre or near the rim. physics, mechanics, machines, wheels, mass, rotational inertia, flywheels Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology Innovation Factory Exhibits for early childhood and problem solving Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Topple Table Children under 6 years build with wooden blocks on a fixed or unstable tabletop and experiment with centre of mass. early childhood, centre of mass, problem solving, open ended, early childhood, tot spot, building, wooden blocks Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Wall Maze Attached tubes along a wall and roll a ball through the tubes. This exhibit encourages problem solving and open ended play, using processes similar to scientific enquiry. problem solving, open ended, early childhood, tot spot, building, ball run, maze Physics – forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Technology
Australian Curriculum Links Innovation Factory exhibits link to the Australian National Science Curriculum (particularly Science Inquiry Skills across all school years). Foundation Physical sciences (ACSSU005) The way objects move depends on a variety of factors, including their size and shape Year 1 Physical sciences (ACSSU020) Light and sound are produced by a range of sources and can be sensed Questioning and predicting (ACSIS024) Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events Questioning and predicting (ACSIS025) Participate in different types of guided investigations to explore and answer questions, such as manipulating materials, testing ideas and accessing information sources Questioning and predicting (ACSIS026) Use informal measurements in the collection and recording of observations, with the assistance of digital technologies as appropriate Year 2 Physical sciences (ACSSU033) A push or pull affects how an object moves or changes shape Questioning and predicting (ACSIS037) Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events Planning and conducting (ACSIS038) Participate in different types of guided investigations to explore and answer questions, such as manipulating materials, testing ideas and accessing information sources Planning and conducting (ACSIS039) Use informal measurements in the collection and recording of observations, with the assistance of digital technologies as appropriate Nature and development of science (ACSHE034) Science involves asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events Year 3 Questioning and predicting (ACSIS053) With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and predict what might happen based on prior knowledge