My son Ben has to do a project for his 6th grade science class due in the
Spring. He has to form a hypothesis, perform the experiment, write a
report, then make up a display similar to a science fair display. It would
be great to do a project on unicycling somehow but what is left to
experiment on? Any ideas from the gang out there? After the projects are
done, they will be set up in the school gym and the community will be
invited in to see them. It would be fun for him to demonstrate his
findings for the community. His email address is ben@unicyclist.com
He could do something with different unicycle wheel sizes and have it done around the wheels rotation and what not. Have examples of the number of rotations by a certain inch wheel to get so far, etc.
Accord, the only problem with that is that it deals with higher than 6th grade math, and if you want to get into the momentum aspect of it, you’d have do some physics research. Actually, that sounds like a good projest to do for my physics class if I need to do one. Hey Harper, would you be interested in putting together a good physics project for me?
-David Kaplan
Hey, nice idea! If I could boast a second, Ben’s Iowa Basics math results
put him in the top national 1%. His brain is amazing when it comes to math
and physical motion. I’ll suggest it as an idea. Thanks.
Bruce
UniDak wrote:
> Accord, the only problem with that is that it deals with higher than > 6th grade math, and if you want to get into the momentum aspect of it, > you’d have do some physics research. Actually, that sounds like a good > projest to do for my physics class if I need to do one. Hey Harper, > would you be interested in putting together a good physics project for > me? -David Kaplan > > – > UniDak Posted via the Unicyclist Community - > http://unicyclist.com/forums
Arithmetic/Geometry: He might calculate the distance traveled with a
variety of wheel diameters and crank lengths. He could measure them out
with a tape measure–rather than rely on formulae.
Biology/Medicine: If you have access to a heart-rate monitor, then he
could try to compare modes of exercise. See how quickly he could get his
heart rate up to a certain level on a bike, jump rope, kayak, skates,doing
situps, running, sledding, skiing, dribbling (I mean with a basketball),
unicycling, etc.
Psychology/Learning: He could investigate three or four variables that
might impact how quickly you learn to unicycle. For example, give people
a pre-test on balance, limit their practice time, change the frequency
of their practice time (30 minutes a day vs 210 minutes once a week),
alter the rewards for riding, compare different techniques for learning.
Engineering: set up a row of unicycles that each have different kinds of
bearing holders. See which spin best, compare their resistance to unicycle
abuse–mud, hopping, water, etc.
Consumer reports: get lots of different kinds of unicycles and create a
pantheon of tests and comparisons. Get testers from this community to help
with the tests, do interviews with “experts around the world”, create a
consumers’ guide, etc.
There was a thread a while back on what effect additional weight had on
someone riding a unicycle. There were many opinions offered – I think
someone said that it depended on where the weight was placed.
So maybe you could perform a series of experiments to test that
hypothesis. You’d rate your ability to ride with <X> additional weight
placed in position <Y> on a scale from 1 to 10, relative to no additional
weight being added. And measure other factors, like your maximum speed or
minimum turning radius, ability to hop or do other tricks.
Oh yeah, and be sure to report back the results here.
“Bruce & Mary Edwards” <REMOVEyoopers@inwave.com> wrote in message news:3C49EA6A.7153976F@inwave.com… > Hi all, > > My son Ben has to do a project for his 6th grade science class due in > the Spring. He has to form a hypothesis, perform the experiment, write a > report, then make up a display similar to a science fair display. It > would be great to do a project on unicycling somehow but what is left to > experiment on? Any ideas from the gang out there? After the projects are > done, they will be set up in the school gym and the community will be > invited in to see them. It would be fun for him to demonstrate his > findings for the community. His email address is ben@unicyclist.com > > Thanks for your help, Bruce
> Hey, nice idea! If I could boast a second, Ben’s Iowa Basics math > results put him in the top national 1%. His brain is amazing when it > comes to math and physical motion. I’ll suggest it as an idea. Thanks.
Sounds like he could use more of a challenge. How about an explanation
of why unicycles wobble? This could be demonstrated by spinning a
unicycle wheel fast, and literally seeing the wobble, then explaining
why it happens.
If you have a unicycle mounted to something rigid to support it, people
could spin the wheel and watch the wobble if it’s mounted in such a way
that the frame can rotate left and right. An easy way to do this might be
to mount it upside down, without the seat, onto a solid base with a pipe
going into the seat tube that allows the twisting motion.
It won’t look as realistic as when the unicycle is right side up, but Ben
could fill in this visual gap by riding a separate one himself. There you
have a little entertainment, a hands-on experience (spinning the wheel),
and a math/physics explanation of a fairly complex phenomenon.
If he tries it, I hope we get to see or read about the results here.
> Hey, nice idea! If I could boast a second, Ben’s Iowa Basics math > results put him in the top national 1%. His brain is amazing when it > comes to math and physical motion. I’ll suggest it as an idea. Thanks.
Sounds like he could use more of a challenge. How about an explanation
of why unicycles wobble? This could be demonstrated by spinning a
unicycle wheel fast, and literally seeing the wobble, then explaining
why it happens.
If you have a unicycle mounted to something rigid to support it, people
could spin the wheel and watch the wobble if it’s mounted in such a way
that the frame can rotate left and right. An easy way to do this might be
to mount it upside down, without the seat, onto a solid base with a pipe
going into the seat tube that allows the twisting motion.
It won’t look as realistic as when the unicycle is right side up, but Ben
could fill in this visual gap by riding a separate one himself. There you
have a little entertainment, a hands-on experience (spinning the wheel),
and a math/physics explanation of a fairly complex phenomenon.
If he tries it, I hope we get to see or read about the results here.
I am just thinking out loud, but here are some ideas. What about stress on the wheel? Get a tacoed wheel and explain why it tacoed or taco it yourself and get pictures of it. Then get a good wheel and do the same move.
Got those bent cranks that turned to butter from your old United? Try to explain that, and why other cranks don’t bend.
Take a ramp and then gradually increase the angle to see if it is rideable and explain why and what point it is unrideable.
Estimate the angle needed to ride up a hill and then ponder if the angle needed to ride up that hill increases with the angle of inclination of the slope. YOu would have to use a crude angle measurement device and find a hill that you can see perpindicular to its direction to measure that angle, errr uh something like that.
