Design Challenge #1: Free the Ketchup
You're very young neighbor really enjoys eating his French fries with ketchup.
Unfortunately, he sometimes has a hard time getting the last bits of ketchup out of the bottle.
Challenge: Using your knowledge of Newton’s First Law, create a model of a device that will remove ketchup from the bottom of a bottle. Your model of the ketchup and bottle will be a ping pong ball that is stuck to the bottom of a cup
Constraints:
- You will not be able to test your device ahead of time with the cup that contains the sticky ball.
- You may not alter or modify the official test cup in any way.
- You will get two attempts to dislodge the sticky ball.
- You may not touch the device once the cup has been installed except to initiate the motion of the device with a light touch.
- You are not allowed to touch the ball or the cup once it is installed in the device you have created.
- The device itself may not come in direct contact with the ball until the ball has been freed from the cup.
- You must start your demonstration by explaining how Newton’s First Law is relevant to the design.
Material Suggestions:
Plastic drinking straws Craft Sticks
Wooden Skewers Toothpicks
Paper Clips Twist Ties
Rubber Bands Pipe Cleaners
Masking/Duck tape Cardboard or stiff paper
Oral Presentation Requirements:
Your group must use the design thinking process. During your test phase your team must explain the following:
- How you use each element of the process (problem finding, empathy, defined focus, ideate, & prototype)
- How was Newton’s First law of motion used to influence your design?
- Explain how each part of Newton’s first law of motion is used in your design and prototype.
- How your design is supposed to work.