The steam engine helped change the world.
If you are teaching science to kids, you may find that an effective way to capture their interest in the subject is to talk about science as it relates to technology. Kids are often fascinated with the latest technological gizmos, so talking about inventions and the science they are based on can be a useful teaching method.
Babbage's Analytical Engine
When your kids are using their laptops, iPads, cellphones and other computer-based technologies, you might want to point out to them that much of the early work done on computer theory and deign was actually done in the early to mid-1800s by Charles Babbage and his associate, Ada Lovelace. They may be surprised to learn that the first designs for computers, such as Babbage's Analytical Engine, were not powered by electricity, but instead used gears and other precisely machined parts. Yet the basic concepts and the programs that Lovelace created for the machine are still valid today.
Airfoil and Lift
Another interesting lecture topic you can teach you students about is one of the most important aspects of the Wright Flyer. The Wright brothers conducted hundreds of tests of wing shapes in wind tunnels before they finally settled on the air foil shape they finally used. The reason this shape worked so well is that the bottom was flat and the top curved, the air pressure at the top of the wing dropped, providing lift. Make it clear that without the concept of lift, airplanes would never get of the ground.
Watt's Steam Engine
When James Watt of Scotland invented the first practical steam engine, he laid the groundwork for the industrial revolution to come. This can be an excellent topic for making it clear to your students that inventions do not come into being without other influences. In this case, the early Greeks and Romans had experimented with basic concepts related to steam power, but lacked the metallurgy to make anything more complex than a toy. An earlier version of the steam engine was built by Thomas Newcomen and was used to drain water from mines.
Goddard's Liquid Rocket
Another point you might want to make to your students is the value of basic research. One way to do this is to discuss the pioneering work of the American scientist Robert Goddard. Goddard did much of the earliest practical work on liquid rockets. Before this, most work on rocketry had concentrated on solid fuels. However, Goddard realized that liquid fuels could provide much greater thrust as long as an oxidizer was provided. While his work did not directly result in manned spaceflight, the principles he developed made it possible many years later.
Tags: Analytical Engine, Babbage Analytical, Babbage Analytical Engine, basic concepts, Engine When, might want, steam engine
