Today we used what we learned yesterday about construction and friction in our projects. Our first activity for the morning was the "Longest Vehicle Challenge" or "El Vehículo más largo." Campers designed a vehicle that would carry a passenger down a ramp, stay together, and not drag any pieces. The longest vehicle for the morning was 50 inches or 127 cm long.  "Spin the Ghost" or "Gira el fantasma" was a learning experience where the campers learned the use of gears, pulleys, crown gears, and gear boxes. After doing some activities to learn more about gears and pulleys, we put everything together with a motorized vehicle. "Crank Generator Derby" and "Carrera del Derby con Generadores de Manivela" introduced motors to the campers. Using team work and engineering, the campers were able to navigate the course using generator energy. By using an additional motor, the campers were able to generate enough electricity to power their cars. In further exploring alternate energy sources, campers were given a solar panel and we moved the camp outside into the gorgeous weather! The "Solar Cars" or "Vehiculo de Poder Solar" challenge allowed the students to explore our main renewable energy source, the sun. We used solar panels to power the cars. The vehicles the campers built used the solar panels to power the electric motor. Solar panels generate only a small amount of power for our motor and they require no programming. Although is was overcast when the campers were outside, all their vehicles were able to harness the power of the sun to drive their vehicles. We have a camp full of future engineers who are learning skills that help explore topics such as force, friction, balance, center of gravity, and counter weight. Tomorrow, we will begin using the RCX to power our single motor vehicles under program control, just what campers have been waiting for!

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