Week 12 · The Elevator and Your Machine Show
Monday
Meet the elevator
// A car, a counterweight and your big explanation
⏱ about 15 min
Monday: Meet the Elevator
Rocket presses the elevator button. Ding! The doors slide open.
"We are going up in a box!" he says.
Raven asks, "What do you notice when the doors close?"
Nova glows a cutaway of the shaft. "Would you like a hint? Look up."
What an elevator does
An elevator lifts people and things up and down a building.
You ride in a box called the car.
The car moves inside a tall space called the shaft.
You cannot see most of the machine. It hides above and beside you.
A parts tour
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Car | The box people ride in |
| Ropes | Strong steel ropes that hold the car |
| Sheave | The wheel at the top that the ropes run over |
| Motor | Turns the sheave |
| Counterweight | Hangs on the other end of the ropes |
| Guide rails | Tracks that keep the car in its lane |
PARTS CHECK
- Read the question.
- Tap your answer.
What is the box people ride in called?
What do the ropes run over at the top?
What hangs on the other end of the ropes?
Up and down together
When the car goes up, the counterweight goes down.
When the car goes down, the counterweight goes up.
They move in opposite ways, like two kids on a seesaw.
Look at the parts table and Up and down together.
| Sentence | True or false? |
|---|---|
| The car is the box people ride in. | ? |
| The ropes run over a wheel called the sheave. | ? |
| The counterweight goes up when the car goes up. | ? |
| Guide rails keep the car in its lane. | ? |
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe car and counterweight share the ropes and move opposite ways.
Try it
Next time you ride an elevator, stand still and listen.
Feel the start and the stop.
Ask your grown-up: where do you think the motor is?
Feel the start and the stop.
Ask your grown-up: where do you think the motor is?
Safety first
Ride an elevator only with a grown-up.
Keep hands and feet away from the doors.
Never press the alarm button for fun.
Keep hands and feet away from the doors.
Never press the alarm button for fun.
AN ELEVATOR RIDE
- Tap a card.
- Then tap its spot.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last
Draw an elevator shaft. Show the car, the ropes and the counterweight.
You met the elevator. Great noticing!
Tomorrow, we find out why the counterweight helps.