At first, the idea of building a robot out of Legos seemed more like a simple, fun activity than a learning experience. I was pleasantly surprised once i discovered that this hands on activity would make it easier to understand the science behind power and how it effects the distance and velocity of which an object travels in various ways.

 

Once we finally figured out how to piece it all together, we began to calculate. We measured the circumference of the wheel in order to determine how many times it turned. From there, we were able to determine the velocity and distance that the robot traveled. We used three different power settings (75, 50, and 25). Each time the calculations were very different. As the power level decreased, the wheels turned less, causing the robot to travel a shorter distance each time.

 

Our calculations were very close to the calculations that the computer came up with.

 

Overall, this was a great hands on activity that I not only enjoyed but also learned from. Although the outcomes seemed obvious, it was interesting to watch the robot work based on our calculations.