MagLev Day 2

We used 4 strip magnets. 2 on the train and 2 on the tracks. We put them on the very edge of the train and the track. We had to line them up so that the train couldn’t stick to the side of the strip magnets. The properties of magnets helped us do it because without them we wouldn’t get to them we wouldn’t get the magnets to repel or float. They would just attract.

 

We failed a lot. It was very stressful. One of the times we failed the magnets on the train weren’t at the edge. So the magnets would stick to the sides of the strip magnets. We learned that if the magnets aren’t paralell they will attract and stick to the sides.

 

We learned that you need to imagine “Will it work or not?” So it doesn’t break and you will be wasting whatever you are using. I also learned that if you combine ideas it can be better.

 

Teamwork helped us because we both had ideas of how to make it work when our first idea didn’t work.  In the end we thought of another idea together and that idea worked. It was a little bit frustrating because we both had ideas and it was a little bit hard thinking of the idea that worked.

MagLev Day 1

A Maglev train is a train that has magnets on the train and magnets on the track which makes the train levitate 10 feet in the air! For example, if north and north or south and south were together they would repel. Repel means push away from each other and levitate. Here is a fact! If north and south are together they will attract! Also, it goes really fast. It can do 375 miles per hour! It works because there is hardly any friction. The only friction is air.  My group’s idea for the train is one strip magnet on one side, and another strip magnet on the other side. My groups idea for the tracks is strip magnets on the whole thing.

 

On friday we created our design and we had a little trouble because the magnets on the train kept attracting with the magnets on the track. So we had to tape the magnets down. We know it will probably work so that is what we accomplished. What we failed at is in the beginning we had a problem. The tracks kept sticking to the train!

 

My experience with my group is good. We worked well together. We tried our idea. It didn’t work but we know why.

 

Making The MagLev Trains