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Ready for Impact

Youth explore how well different materials protect against impact.

Youth Will Know
  • A space glove must protect against impact hazards. 
  • Some materials are better than others at protecting against heavy moving objects.

Activity Downloads

A3_Ready_for_Impact_Educator_Guide
Ready for Impact Educator Guide
pdf 553.99 KB
A3_Ready_for_Impact_Engineering_Journal
Ready for Impact Engineering Journal (English)
pdf 231.51 KB
A3_Ready_for_Impact_Engineering_Journal_Spanish
Ready for Impact Engineering Journal (Spanish)
pdf 1 MB
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Setup

The Educator Guide has a script, materials list, and prep directions. It will take about 25 minutes to prepare for this activity. 

  • Post the EDP Poster. 
  • Get the Message from the Duo ready. 
  • Post Testing Results chart and add an Impact column (Educator Guide p. 46). 
  • Set up the Materials Table. 
  • Fill two containers with 100 washers each and tape lids on. 
  • Prepare demo glove with 5 spaghetti pieces. 
  • Set up testing stations (skewer taped to aluminum tray, spaghetti, testing weights, ruler). 
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Guiding Question

Which materials are good at protecting against impact?

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Youth Will Do

  • Test and compare how well different materials protect against impact hazards, specifically damage from heavy moving objects.
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Did you know?

Some construction gloves have rubber tread like a shoe to protect workers from impacts with falling tools, construction materials, and the moving parts of equipment.

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Quick Tips

For language learning, pair youth purposefully to encourage the best possible environment for collaboration

Emphasize the analogies:

  • The spaghetti represent bones in a hand
  • The skewer represents a tool
  • The washer container represents a falling rock
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Glossary

Impact: the act of one thing hitting another

Audio

Soundcloud

Related Videos

Micro Impacts and Low Gravity
How to Design a Space Glove
Micro Impacts and Low Gravity
How to Design a Space Glove

Activity Timing

5 min
Present the Message from the Duo
10 min
Set the Stage
25 min
Ask: Which Material Is Best?
10 min
Reflect
50 min
Total