Build a toy replica of the world's fastest train for $45 with CSIRO's energy expert Dr Alex Wonhas
The director of CSIRO's Energy Transformed Flagship, Dr Alex Wonhas, who's realizing a lifelong dream by building a solar power station in Newcastle, thinks games, such as the BBC's simulation Climate Challenge, are a good way to get kids thinking about science in relation to the real world.
As the president of the European Nations in this Flash game, you must tackle climate change and stay popular enough with voters to remain in office. Dr Wonhas Googled "Climate Change" and "Games" to find this Wikipedia page on other games to play. However, you have to pay to play some games such as Fate of the World.
In this interview with Big Science Now at the CSIRO Greenhouse 2011 Forum, Dr Wonhas mentioned how it helps kids pick things up if parents take an interest in science. He recently helped his son, Lawrence, with his last science assignment to build a toy that kids of the future would play with.
His daughter Charlotte demonstrates the train in operation here:
The MAGLEV Train is suspended above the track by magnetic levitation - or magnetic repulsion if you like. Here's a set of plans he drew up especially for intrepid Big Science Now readers who might like to try to build their own toy.
It won't travel as fast as Shanghai's MAGLEV Transrapid Train which travels at 431km/hr:
Related video: BSN OUTtake - Alex Wonhas on science in the 21st Century.
Link: Science Fair Project on Magnetism
Wikipedia: Shanghai Transrapid
Big Science Now's roving reporter, Mandy Awabdy, went out to two hardware stores to see how much it would cost to make a toy MAGLEV Train. Mandy calculated it will cost between $45 and $35 to buy the materials. She also wrote out a shopping list and a step-by-step set of instructions interpreting Dr Wonhas's drawing. Have fun!
Steps to Building A MEGLev Toy Train
Objective:
To build a Maglev Train demonstrating the forces of magnets using attraction and repulsion.
Materials:
The materials required to build the Maglev Train which will cost between $35-$45 from hardware stores include:
- Two Plexiglass sheets, approximately 24” by 4” each sheet – note this size may be adjusted the required size of the train.
- 2 pieces of wood strips for the base, approximately 3’ by ¼”.
- A drill for the holes.
- 16 phillips head screws.
- Two magnetic strips (ferrite magnets) fitted to the length of the Plexiglass sheet
- Double sided tape.
- Piece of wood that measures 3 ½” by 3 7/8” (for the train)
- String to secure base platform together
Making the Mag-Lev Train Track:
Step 1. First, drill seven holes along the length edge, 3 inches from the height edge, and 1 inch apart from each other into one sheet of 24” by 4” Plexiglas. NOTE: The holes must be touching the length edge of the Plexiglas!
Step 2. Next, repeat step 1 on the opposite length side.
Step 3. Then, take another sheet of 24” by 4” Plexiglas and drill 8 holes 1 ½” from the length side and 1 ½” from the height side.
Step 4. Next, repeat step 3 on the other sheet of 24” by 4” Plexiglas.
Step 5. After that, take one of the two 3’ by ¼” by ¼” wooden strips and place it along the holes of one of the two Plexiglas walls that you drilled the holes 1 ½” from the sides.
Step 6. Then, switch to a smaller drill bit and drill halfway through the wooden strip.
Step 7. Repeat step 6 on the other wooden strip.
Step 8. Next, screw some small Philips head screws through the holes in Plexiglas and into the wooden strips to hold the wooden strip firmly in place.
Step 9. Do step 8 again to the other wooden strip and Plexiglas wall.
Step 10. Then, take the last Plexiglas wall and place it on one of the wooden strips attached to a Plexiglas wall.
Step 11. Next, repeat step 6 on this Plexiglas wall.
Step 12. Then, repeat step 8 on both sides of this Plexiglas wall.
Step 13. After that, cut two pieces of double-sided tape measuring 24” long.
Making the train:
Step 1. First, cut a piece of wood that measures 3 ½” by 3 7/8”.
Step 2. Next, cut two pieces of double sided tape measuring 3 ½”.
Step 3. Then, put one piece of double sided tape along the side that measured 3 ½” on the wood block.
Step 4. Next, cut 7” out of one of the magnetic strips.
Step 5. Then, cut that in half and end up with two strips measuring 3 ½”.
Step 6. Finally, place those two magnetic strips along the double sided tape.
This now completes the Maglev Train, if you would like to make the train float a little higher, put two magnetic strips on the bottom of the Plexiglass that is in line with the double sided tape that is on the track.
