Air Rocket FLEXCART users can choose a rocket or build their own, place it on the launch pad and experience Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion first hand! Students approach the exhibit and select an Air Rocket to place on the launch pad. The user then cranks the rotary pump handle to reach the desired PSI (0-30) and presses the silver button when ready to launch.

The exhibit can be tuned for shorter ceiling heights or taken outside for higher altitude investigations. Explore the effects of varying the air pressure to achieve different results with each launch.

Students will use exhibit technology in the form of a model circuit board, the Circuit Bench FLEXCART, to connect circuits to power different objects. Students will build series, parallel and combination circuits to power different objects. Through their active learning with the Circuit Bench and simple circuits, students will understand the phenomena of Ohm’s Law: the relationship between electric voltage, current, and resistance. Students will use Vernier Sensors to measure voltage and current to apply Ohm’s math to their inquiry based investigation. Discussions involving models and exhibit technology can be integrated, such as how models are replicas of technology, their uses, and limitations in project based learning.

The Quake Table FLEXCART allows users to explore the effects of vibration and movement on physical structures by placing buildings made of various material on the FLEXCART Quake Table. The Quake Table is a form of exhibit technology that is used to model earthquake simulations. Students can manually change the frequency of the seismic wave of the table. By changing the frequency of a wave, users can test the structures they have built and explore engineering concepts from constraints of a design problem to the construction of a model for iterative testing for the best prototype to withstand large magnitude seismic waves. Students can obtain real time data in this inquiry based investigation using Vernier Sensors to measure the acceleration and forces generated by the model quake to further understand earthquake phenomena.

The phenomenon of electromagnetism is experienced firsthand by student’s interaction with the Ring Launcher FLEXCART. Students using the Ring Launcher can select rings made of various materials and sizes to place on the launch pad. The student then cranks the generator to create an electrical current that will be stored in the capacitors. Once the desired voltage is reached the user presses the green button releasing the stored electrical current which induces two opposing magnetic fields to push against each other to launch the ring. Students can use Vernier Sensors to collect real-time data by measuring the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field produced by the Ring Launcher. Data will be analyzed to compare different design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each to create the most effective prototype EM ring to launch.

The Bernoulli FLEXCART allows students to observe the Bernoulli principle in action by suspending light-weight spheres in mid-air, demonstrating the connection between speed and pressure that allows even heavy objects like jumbo jets to fly. Students will learn about the Four Forces of Flight and how weight, lift, drag, and thrust interact to keep an object suspended. The hands-on experience translates to the real-world experience of flight.

The Magnetic Basics FLEXCART allows students to explore magnetism through interactive stations that demonstrate its presence in everyday life. Students can use a magnet to identify magnetic materials and interact with other activities, such as the movement of ferrofluid under a bar magnet and the force of repulsion between oppositely charged magnets. The FLEXCART provides a comprehensive hands-on experience that emphasizes the power and importance of magnetism.