Eggstreme Defense

The students embark on an engineering adventure to build egg launching catapults. Each team discusses their strategies to divide and conquer the various aspects of catapult construction. They analyze the materials needed, brainstorm ideas, and create a detailed plan of action. With materials in hand, the teams move on to the coding aspect of the challenge. They are introduced to Arduino, a microcontroller platform, and learn how to program it to control a servo motor, which will power the catapult's launching mechanism. The teams gather with their completed catapults, eager to see how well their creations perform. They adjust their coding and fine-tune their designs, seeking that perfect launch!

Grades 9-12

Half-Day

Price

This course typically costs between $30 and $60 per student.

Location

These classes are held in Innovation Academy's state-of-the-art classroom at The Garden, or on-site at your location.

Schedule

This course runs for 4 hours. It can also be combined with other courses or activities for a full-day or multi-day event.

Audience

We can typically accommodate 10-50 students for this field trip.

  • PH.1 - The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering practices by:

    • A - asking questions and defining problems

      • ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, examination of a model or theory, unexpected results, and/or to seek additional information

      • determine which questions can be investigated within the scope of the school laboratory

      • make hypotheses that specify what happens to a dependent variable when an independent variable is manipulated

      • generate hypotheses based on research and scientific principles

      • define design problems that involves the development of a process or system with interacting components and criteria and constraints

    • B - planning and carrying out investigations

      • individually and collaboratively plan and conduct observational and experimental investigations

      • plan and conduct investigations or test design solutions in a safe manner

      • select and use appropriate tools and technology to collect, record, analyze, and evaluate data

    • C - interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating data

      • record and present data in an organized format that communicates relationships and quantities in appropriate mathematical or algebraic forms

      • use data in building and revising models, supporting an explanation for phenomena, or testing solutions to problems

      • analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (e.g., computational, mathematical, statistical) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an optimal design solution

      • analyze data graphically and use graphs to make predictions

      • consider limitations of data analysis when analyzing and interpreting data

      • evaluate the effects of new data on a working explanation and/or model of a proposed process or system

      • analyze data to optimize a design

    • D - constructing and critiquing conclusions and explanations

      • make quantitative and/or qualitative claims based on data

      • construct and revise explanations based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources

      • apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence to provide an explanation of phenomena or design solutions

      • compare and evaluate competing arguments in light of currently accepted explanations and new scientific evidence

      • construct arguments or counterarguments based on data and evidence

      • differentiate between scientific hypothesis, theory, and law

    • E - developing and using models

      • evaluate the merits and limitations of models

      • identify and communicate components of a system orally, graphically, textually, and mathematically

      • develop and/or use models (including mathematical and computational) and simulations to visualize, explain, and predict phenomena and to interpret data sets

    • F - obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

      • compare, integrate, and evaluate sources of information presented in different media or formats to address a scientific question or solve a problem

      • gather, read, and evaluate scientific and/or technical information from multiple authoritative sources, assessing the evidence and credibility of each source

      • communicate scientific and/or technical information about phenomena and/or a design process in multiple formats

    PH.3 - The student will investigate and understand, through mathematical and experimental processes, that there are relationships among force, mass, and acceleration. Key laws include:

    • A - Newton’s laws of motion; and

    • B - Newton’s law of universal gravitation.