🎵 E4 Swing & Rhythm

The Prototype Workshop band has lost its drummer and its metronome. Can machines keep the beat instead?

Explorers, Foundation. Engineer Stamp: Beat Builder.

Lessons

  1. Tick-tock pendulum: Tick… tock… tick… tock. Can you swing your arm exactly like the pendulum?
  2. The woodpecker: Tap-tap-tap! How does a woodpecker toy peck without a battery?
  3. Long or short swing?: Will a longer pendulum swing faster or slower? Make a guess!
  4. The cam drummer: This machine plays the drums by itself. What is hiding inside?
  5. Design Day: The beat machine: The band starts in 10 minutes and still has no drummer!
  6. Showcase: Prototype Workshop Rhythm Band: All the machines play one song together. Who will be the conductor?

Design challenge

Build a machine that taps a steady beat when you turn a handle.

Engineering ideas

Standards: K-2-ETS1-2, 1-PS4-1