The Gear Powered Ferris Wheel

 

In 5VS we are learning about simple machines. We all paired up and started designing a project for the V.S.F. (Virtual Science Fair). Our project is like no other, it is a Gear Powered Ferris Wheel! In this essay we surveyed the Kindergartners about colors, and researched how to make our structure safe for kids. Have you ever wondered about Gorge Ferris, the inventor of the first 264 foot Ferris Wheel and why he built it?

Kindergartners love colors, red, blue, yellow you name it! So we decided we would survey them about COLOURS! Our question is what is you favorite color? We want our project as bright and colorful as possible. We surveyed 14 kindergartners, 4 of them liked red, 3 loved blue, 3 liked orange, 2 adored white, 2 liked purple, and one of them liked green. Bright colors can make our playground more noticeable which attracts children to ride our structure.

When you build a structure you realize just how important safety is for the people who use it. From my research on the computer I was intrigued to see how many different materials I could use to make my structure a safer place. Soft bedding on the ground beneath your structure such as pebble flex or rubber tiles can minimize the damage from a fall. Splinter-free wood ,pole rails and cribs are also very safe things to use. When you design a structure you need to use space so the kids have space to move and play without being hurt. The safety of the kids comes first when you plan a structure.

The history of the Ferris Wheel is an interesting one. The Ferris Wheel is named after a man named George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. who actually was a bridge builder. Ferris knew and understood the growing need for structural steel and opened a company called G.W.G Ferris & Co. He was the first to build the first Ferris wheel 264 ft. high for the World’s Columbian exposition in 1893. This Ferris Wheel was supposed to be competition for the Eiffel Tower. This wheel could carry 2, 160 people and was powered by steam engines. It took 20 min. to turn 2 times! Thanks’ to Ferris we now have large Ferris Wheels like the London Eye to this day.

This was a great way to end this term in Science. We feel strongly on our structure and are proud with our work. I hope you have learned about the best colors for a structure and the best materials along with how my structure works. I hope that you all agree with me on how The Gear Powered Ferris Wheel is amazing. I would ride it, would you?

 

Elizabeth and Lucas