Kenowa Hills — Levitating cars may sound like magic or science fiction, but for Kenowa Hills STEM Academy students, anything is possible with magnets, a 3D printer and a little bit of math and science.
During their first unit of the semester, eighth-graders designed and 3D-printed magnetic levitating cars to race down an inclined track lined with magnets. Students placed magnetic strips on the bottom of their cars which repelled the magnets on the track when they came into contact, causing the car to levitate.
After three rounds of competition with just the three fastest cars remaining, the students lined them up at the top of the track and STEM Academy teacher Steven Feutz lifted the starting gate. As they reached the bottom of the track, a hush fell over the classroom to hear fellow STEM Academy teacher Joanna Haines declare eighth-grader PJ Bandasak’s car the winner.
“At first, I was doubting myself and nervous about if I was going to win,” PJ said. “I put all the weight in the back (of my car) which made it go down faster because it had more potential energy.”
Runner-up Matt Ripley said he probably could have added more weight to the back of his car to make it faster than PJ’s.
Both students agreed the most challenging and “painful” part of the project was leveling the 3D printer so it correctly printed their cars.
“Leveling is really hard to do so the print comes out even and doesn’t get messed up,” Matt said.
Building STEM Skills
Haines said the magnetic levitation project is a “nice introduction” to the eighth-grade STEM curriculum and that their next hydraulics unit will be more challenging.
“This project eases them into STEM,” Feutz added. “This is their first solo project and the next one will be a group project.”
The unit focused on motion, measuring speed, velocity and acceleration and a bit of magnetism. Students learned to design their cars on the computer using Tinkercad software and 3D printers. They also experimented with different weights, shapes and lengths of foam cars to see what was the fastest before printing the final product.
“A lot of kids have never used a 3D printer before and it can be so exciting and frustrating, but such a cool hands-on learning opportunity,” Haines said.
The teachers utilized curriculum and supplies from the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Transportation and Civil Engineering Program, which gives 7th-12th grade students opportunities to solve real-world problems, such as designing bridges or building magnetic-levitation trains.
“What impresses me the most about this course is the amount of employability skills students gain from the projects we do,” Haines said. “They’re working collaboratively in a group, managing their time and problem-solving. It teaches grit and endurance and they’ve been rocking it.”
Read more from Kenowa Hills:
• Testing out Newton’s laws of motion with longboards
• Young engineers turn paper into a wild ride
