fandomhigh | Applied Inventiontronics, Period 4

The classroom today was a bit different. The desks were all paired off, and for each set there was a strange spinny thing, a small set of tools and a question sheet.

Glitch was at the front of the class, standing at a bit of a distance from the desk. It might want some space after last week.

"Today, you'll be taking apart those mini sterling engines , putting them back together, and filling out the worksheet. Don't worry too much about the questions and just answer them as best you can. Sorry, but, you'll have to work in teams for it because I didn't have enough to go around." He gave them an apologetic smile. "When you're finished, bring it and your answers to my desk and pick up one of these packets to go over."

He picked one up from the top of the pile before finally sitting at his desk. "I'll be here to answer any questions during and after class. I'll be in my office tomorrow, too, if you need anything then." He sat back a bit and started to read over the packet again to refresh his synapses if there were any questions.

[ooc: OCD is ~~on its way~~ up like an upping thing!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, he does have a tendency to explain things. And while I think I should be able to do this...

"Do you have a partner yet?" he asked, looking around to make sure no one had already started moving towards Zack's desk.

"Not yet," Zack replied, gesturing next to him. "You have any experience with these kind of engines?"

He shook his head.

"Not even a little. I don't even know where to start."

Zack thought about it a moment. "The principle it's designed around might be a good place?" he suggested.

"You'd be more likely to know that than I would," he pointed out. "Even if we had this kind of thing in my world, I wouldn't know about it."

"Right," Zack said, looking over the notes. "Basically, it uses heat and cold to change the pressure of the gas in the cylinder here, then uses that change to power the movement of the piston here."

"And how does heat or cold change the pressure?"

Unfortunately, no one's been taught the basics of thermodynamics.

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you looked at it), Zack had a very thorough grounding in them and immediately started explaining.

Complete with diagrams.

Funnily (or unfunnily), Liir liked diagrams.

And explanations? He soaked those up like a sponge. A hungry hungry sponge.

He started making connections between things, like how the ice would cause cracks in the stone where the water had been. Or how one of their cups had just broken when he'd put the too-warm cup out into the cold.

"I see," he said. And he did.

"Great," Zack said, smiling. "Did you want to test the engine before we try taking it apart?"

He nodded.

"Might as well make sure that it works before we start breaking it down."

"That's what I was thinking," Zack said, reaching out to touch the base. "According to the notes, these particular models don't require much heat to work."

"I'm not very warm," and he pressed a finger to the machine. "It would probably be best if you held it."

"Right," Zack nodded, lifting up the engine. After a short while the wheel started turning.

He looked at it for a moment, wheels turning elsewhere as he considered his inventiontronics project, and he smiled.

"That's amazing."

"You sure you don't want to try?" Zack asked, holding it out to Liir.

He shrugged noncommittally before reaching out and taking it from him, holding it in his hands.

It took much longer to move, and even then it did so sluggishly.

"See?"

But it was still sort of amazing.

Zack nodded. "I do."

"We should probably get to work, though..."

"We should," Zack agreed, just the barest hint of mad scientist glee in his eyes.

"Where do we start, do you think?"

He didn't have the first clue.

"Look for the part that would have gone on last," Zack said after a moment. "Then work backwards from there."

"Probably this," he said, pointing to the piece of metal that held on the thing that spun.

"I'd think," he qualified it.

"Makes sense," Zack agreed. "Since then you'd be able to start disconnecting the crankshafts."

"Did you want to--"

He gestured mutely to the tools and the engine. He'd watch, carefully, but he didn't want to wreck the assignment.

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