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Everyday Machines / Week 05 / Machine Day
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Week 05 · The Toilet

Machine Day

Machine Day: The Down Hunt
// A tank, a flap, a float and gravity
⏱ about 15 min

Machine Day: The Down Hunt

Rocket drops a feather, a spoon and a ball of paper.

"Down, down, down!" he says.

Raven asks, "What do you notice? Does anything go up?"

Nova floats above. "Find machines that use the pull."

  1. The toilet tank stores water up high.
  2. The handle and chain lift the flapper.
  3. Gravity pulls the water down into the bowl.
  4. The float tells the fill valve when to stop.
  5. A dye test finds a leak you cannot see.
◇ FAMILY DOWN HUNT
Find five things at home that use gravity.
Think about a slide, a sink drain, a toilet, an hourglass.
Drop a soft toy and a sock. Which lands first?
Try again two more times.
Tell each other what you noticed.
For a grown-up
Ask: where does the water in our sink go?
Point out the toilet tank up high and the bowl down low.
Celebrate guesses, even wrong ones. Then test them.
Safety first
Drop soft things only, from waist height.
Nothing goes in the toilet except what belongs there.
Wash hands after touching the toilet.
DOWN HUNT CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which way does gravity pull things?
Which part of the toilet uses gravity most?
SentenceTrue or false?
A dropped sock falls down.?
The toilet bowl is higher than the tank.?
Gravity works in every room of your home.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEGravity is a quiet helper in many home machines.
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