Applied Science | Monday, 8/31 |Period 1

[tyler_gone]

Oh, hey, a new semester! That meant Tyler was on time, actually put on a tie, and -- in honor of the early hour -- had a huge tank of coffee and stack of cups on a back table.

"Hi," he said as the class filed in, gesturing a little with the coffee mug that probably would not leave his hand in the next 15 classes. "Welcome to applied science. I'm Tyler Durden. Tyler works, Mr. Durden works ... not a big fan of 'hey you' in the classroom."

"Usually I make soap the first week, but this doesn't feel like a day for it." By which he meant he wasn't quite ready to repeat the class yet, and was saving it. "So today, we're talking about one of the most basic concepts in physics -- simple machines."

"Basically, a simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force -- the simplest mechanisms that use leverage to multiply force. A simple machine uses a single applied force to do work against a single load force. Ignoring friction losses, the work done on the load is equal to the work done by the applied force. They can be used to increase the amount of the output force, at the cost of a proportional decrease in the distance moved by the load. The ratio of the output to the input force is called the mechanical advantage."

"Six things are classically considered simple machines." He moved over to stand in front of a counter of such, holding each up as he talked. "The lever, like this hammer. The wheel and axle. The inclined plane, or ramp. The screw. The wedge. The pulley."

The lecture continued for a while, then: "Today we're going to introduce ourselves -- name, grade, and who you would fight if you could fight anyone, living, dead or imaginary -- then try to see how each of these simple machines are useful by trying to build something." He nodded to a student in the first row. "You first. And I need a TA or two." Not looking at Ino if she was there, there. "Talk to me during the introductions or after class if you're interested."

[OOC: TAs have been chosen OOCly.]

Comments

Simple Machines [8/31]

[tyler_gone]

There are plenty of small examples of each of the six on the lab tables, with scraps of wood and metal and a couple other tools for putting it all together. Make something, anything at all, or handwave madly.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[furnaceface]

Jonothon looked at the materials in front of himself, and then he shrugged and threw together a simple lever. Short length of wood on one end, longer length of it on the other. Little hinged thing in the middle for the whole mess to sit on.

He would use it to launch eraser bits at people who took to staring at him, maybe.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was trying to make a Rube Goldberg kind of thing, with ramps that lead to levers that flipped marbles into buckets. Most of it wasn't working yet, but she was experimenting with distances and angles and having waaaay too much fun.

At one point, she looked over at Jonothon and asked, "Hey, can I have the rest of your screws? If you're not using them?"

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[furnaceface]

Oh, it was that staring bird from earlier.

Jonothon spared her a sideways glance, and then shrugged his shoulders, scooped what was left of his screws up into his hand, and deposited them onto the desk beside her.

//Knock yerself out, sunshine. I haven't got any need for them.//

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." The 'sunshine' got an eyeroll, but hey. Way better than Tweety, right? Dinah concentrated on connecting her ramps together to let all the marbles fall into the Imaginary Pit of Lava, and said absently, "So you're a telepath too? But you couldn't hear me talking to you?"

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[furnaceface]

.... Everybody on the bloody island was a telepath. That had to be it.

//Mine goes one-way. I can speak, but I can't hear other people, even if they do figure they're thinking loudly. Unless they can project this way too, at least.//

He tapped his finger against the short end of his miniature see-saw. It was fascinating. Truly.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Ohhh. That explains it." Dinah nodded, and grinned at him, less confused now. "I'm a touch-telepath. I can't hear you or be heard unless I'm touching you. Which, don't worry, I don't try that on people without an invite. And not that often even then." She shrugged, and added, "Emma and Karla say I'm really loud with the projecting, so it's probably just as well." The lack-of-talking and the -- okay, bandages?-- made more sense up close, where she could see the burn scars on his cheeks. Maybe he could talk, but it looked like it might be really painful. So why not go with the easier option, then?

She poured a half dozen marbled down her little ramps, watched the levers flip and pour them down to Lava Land. Muahaha!

Possibly that part got cackles out loud.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[furnaceface]

Jonothon watched the little marble cascade out of the corner of his eye, and then he looked up at her for a moment, thinking on that.

//Are yer a mutant, then?//

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah blinked at him, then remembered Jamie, and smiled. "Yeah, I guess so? I mean, it's called meta-human back home, but yeah, I've got touch-telepathy, and telekinesis. I inherited weird DNA from my mom." The dreams were too weird to mention, and rarely mattered anyway. "My big sib was from somewhere they called it being a mutant, though. That's what's up with you? Not magic?"

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[furnaceface]

//It'd be simpler if this was just bein' magical, gel.//

It would. He could very distinctly remember that he'd never seen any such thing as anti-magic protests in the streets back home. There were no initiatives about to exterminate Wiccans of anything of the sort.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," Dinah said, brow furrowing, "Maybe not. A couple people here are from places are where magic is illegal, or at least, really feared." She shrugged, and said, "Or don't know what they're doing with it. That's why I'm here. To learn how to control it." She gave him a curious look. "You?"

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[furnaceface]

//Me what? Why am I here, or where am I from?//

Jono wasn't about to volunteer more information than he was specifically asked for. He wasn't exactly the most sharing individual, lately.

He tore the corner from a piece of paper in his notebook and rolled it into a little ball between his fingertips.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[intraspective]

Ino was going to amuse herself by putting together a very simple sort of... thing. Vaguely like a wheel and axle, but mostly she was just fiddling, taking things apart, putting them back together and seeing how things worked together.

What?

It was following the class exercise.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[momslilassassin]

Ben was working on a pulley, even if there wasn't much simple about his approach to it.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[eyebrowgoesup]

It was like he was three again. Really. Still, Spock supposed there was something almost meditatively calming about revisiting the simplest things, and hands-on had never been quite his strongest suit. It was why he'd preferred pure science to engineering as a track of study.

That didn't stop his simple machine, a pulley, from being quite complex in its construction.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Spock." Good to see you as a guy? "Having fun?" Okay, boring, but still.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[eyebrowgoesup]

"Dinah," Spock said. "Greetings. I am completing our assignment."

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

She'd forgotten how totally contained he'd been when they met. "Nice pulley. You've done this before, haven't you."

From Dinah's mess of ramps, see-saws, and random marbles, it was probably clear she hadn't. Still, parts of it were working just fine.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[eyebrowgoesup]

"This was previously part of my studies, yes," Spock agreed, as he started trying to figure out how to build a gear system with the materials provided. He suspected it might not be politic to mention he'd been in preschool at the time. The Vulcan educational system was not for the faint of heart.

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Are you going into science for a career? Or architecture?" Dinah asked, curious. More marbles were sacrificed to the Lava God, although without the previous enthusiasm before talking to Jono. "You seem to be good at that."

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[eyebrowgoesup]

Spock nodded. "I intend to apply to the Vulcan Science Academy and Starfleet Academy when I complete my secondary schooling." He hesitated, then said, "Thank you. My scholastic experience in the past has been less hands-on."

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome. It's very-- what's the word I want?" Dinah put a wheel in place to move the little marbles down a level. "Precise. Nothing wasted." She tilted her head. "Those sound like impressive schools. Which one are you more intereted in getting into?"

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[eyebrowgoesup]

"It is logical to cultivate multiple options," Spock said. "To be admitted to study at the Vulcan Science Academy is a great honor."

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Real school, safety school," Dinah said, understanding. "Still. Starfleet Academy, that sounds cool too. Is that on Earth, or some other planet in the future?" She cocked her head, thinking. "I'll probably just go to one of the community colleges back home." Which... didn't sound that great, but then again, maybe it wouldn't matter?

Re: Simple Machines [8/31]

[heromaniac]

Momoko started out trying to make something cool to impress Mister Durden (a giant robot with a lever for one hand a pulley for another, and wheels for feet - what? It was AWESOME in her head!) and ended up with a massive oddity that was soon swallowed by its own weight and crumpled to the floor.

She blushed, picked up what she could find, and decided to try 'simple' instead. Less embarrassing when it crashed. Two wheels on a shortened axle, some string from the pulley pile... she had a new yo-yo.