Engineering

The legacy of the Museum begins in 1798 When Eli Whitney first chose a site on the Mill River to build his Armory. Chosen for its access to a strong current of water, Whitney intended to use this as a power source for the machines he would use to produce the parts of his contract musket. Whitney, however, was not the first to see the potential of this site as a grist mill had been located on the grounds previously. Over time the site has taken on new residencies and has physically changed as well.

Build a windmill with adjustable vanes. You will discover that in order to make it work, the vanes have to be adjusted just right to turn fast enough to work. Then apply that wind power to make it work. How? By making it lift weight, you can observe just how much power output it can produce. You will discover the problem of scale and its limitations but the potential is there.

Understand the gearing needed to manage the lift. About the relationship between speed and power. It's not necessarily intuitive.

Bridges are a natural laboratory of engineering: they test the strength of materials and the durability, connections, patterns of distributing loads, shifting loads and environments. 

Construct model bridges that help you identify the many challenges that bridges must master. A Keystone bridge which can hold more weight than you'd imagine and a puzzle bridge designed by Leonardo daVinci. Both are built without glue and still hold strong.

The English Scientist, Neil Downie, has written three volumes of Saturday Science Projects. His designs are remarkably original and thoughtful, explaining the math and science of every project. Sometimes you have to strip away all the non-essential parts to see an idea at work. Neil Downie proposes a clever study of the exchange of speed for force. A second array of pulleys float between input pulleys and the output pulley. An elegant display of force in motion. Counting on friends: what can your little acrobats tell you about the changes in speed or power (torque)? nspired by: Neil A.

Build a remarkable drawing machine from 1913 adapted by our apprentices and designers. Since its first adaptation, it's been revised many more times. We will teach you some ways to program it. Then you will go on to invent your own programs. The possibilities are infinite. Add color and shadows. In order to understand this machine, you will need to understand coordinates in order to record and create patterns. There are 6 separate settings that must be changed to experiment with the patterns also. There are a large number of permutations and variations.
 

With modular wooden pieces, wire and rubber bands, construct a hand with fingers. The parts will work in a dozen basic configurations.

Test your design: Retrieve a lifesaver, a penny, a marble from a cup. Pick up a marker and draw. Pop a balloon. Propose your own challenge. Invent games two hands can play.

Outcomes: Each task may require specific adjustments. Some hand configurations are more versatile than others. Discover the interplay between tasks and design.
 

Study motion by building a spiral track for a marble to follow. Understand gravity, friction, inertia. Do you build from the bottom up or the top down? Make discoveries while creating a fun game.