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For this project, students are asked to design a can which tips itself over after a delay of at least 30 seconds and no more than 15 minutes. The can may be anything commonly available from a film canister to a garbage can (tennis ball, coffee, and potato chip cans were the most common). No holes can be made that are not normal for the type of can chosen (soup cans may have the tops taken off, but only the tabs may be removed from pop cans), and devices must be entirely inside the can at all times, before, during, and after the tip.
This is meant to be a team project. Teams of 4 are suggested. Give students 1-2 weeks to complete their cans. When the cans are due, hold an official showing. Mark out spots on the floor for students to place their cans. (Make sure there is enough space around them that they won't bump into each other.) Give exactly 2 minutes to set up, and then begin timing. Any can that tips before 30 seconds are up, or does not tip after 15 minutes, does not meet design criteria. In a large class, it may take several "waves" of demonstrations to see all of the cans. Other rules:
Encourage students to think creatively and use time wisely. They should test early and often, and go through multiple iterations. Reliability is the key to this project. Only half the cans typically work during the show, though all teams swear they work during testing. A "typical" solution is a timer and mousetrap; make sure to reward more creative solutions.
All materials are student provided.
Before this project is given, make sure to discuss energy and energy storage. Students will come in asking for help, so there should be enough instructor hours to troubleshoot tricky cans. A stopwatch is essential the day the cans are due. 15 minutes is a long time to just sit there, so it is good to have some material to present, but it shouldn't be anything too critical; the can tipping can be awfully distracting! Put some kind of mark on the successful cans, like your initials or a sticker, as well as making a paper list. This will help in the grading process, especially if students need to transport their cans from a classroom to the instructor's office. Grading can be time consuming. Suggested grading criteria are: reliability, construction, meeting design criteria, creativity, and presentation.
This project is appropriate for the following variations (most are described in the section how to make design projects more meaningful):
Credit for this project goes to the Crandall Institute and Rochester Institute of Technology. For more information, contact Will Durfee at the University of Minnesota.
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