Cable Car

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In this activity, learners string a line across the room and build cable cars that can move from on end to the other. Learners construct their cable cars out of wood sticks, motors, and electrical circuits. Use this activity to introduce how cable cars work as well as physics principles related to center of gravity, rotational motion, electricity, and motors. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
45 to 60 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per student
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • 1 paperclip, large
  • 2 paperclips, small
  • 1 wood stick, 1 in. x 2 in. x 6 in.
  • 4 electrical wires
  • 1 AA battery
  • 2 craft sticks
  • 2 tacks
  • 1 glue stick, 1/8 in. long
  • foil
  • tape, masking & electrical
  • suspended string or wire to hang the cable car
  • hot glue gun

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Electrical Engineering
      • Transportation Engineering
  • Physical Sciences
    • Electricity and Magnetism
      • Electric Motors
      • Electric Circuits
    • Energy
      • Energy and Power
      • Work and Machines
    • Motion and Forces
      • Machines
      • Rotation Motion
      • Center of Gravity
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process
      • Problem Solving
      • Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Informal Categories

  • Electronics
  • Model Building
  • Toys
  • Transportation

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop, 2011

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