Move it! On a roll.

Our task today was to design and build a rotating measuring device which has a centre point axle with a handle or handles ( so team members can keep it upright during operation). Two complete rotations of the device are required to measure exactly 5m along a line.

First we needed to do some research to discover what an axle actually is. We used the I-pads and found this definition....

a rod or spindle (either fixed or rotating) passing through the centre of a wheel or group of wheels.
synonyms: shaft, spindle, rod, arbor, pin, pivot;




We discovered lots of things in our world have axles; scooters, cars, bikes, SAM's glasses, even a pizza cutter!

Next we took a close look at the axle on a scooter.





Then it was time to embark on our challenge. We worked in two groups.
















Then it was time to test. Could our measuring machine make it 5 m without collapsing? It was a challenge.














We decided we needed to do a bit more research, so that next time we could make a more effective measuring wheel.

These are some of the ideas we liked.