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Ramping it up, Egyptian pyramid style

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Boy stands next to model of pyramid with hanging bucket
Ramping it up, Egyptian pyramid style

SUBJECTS:  History, Science

YEARS:  7–8


How did the ancient Egyptians move and lift huge stones during construction of the pyramids?

Secondary student Angus Atkinson designed an experiment to find out how the lives of pyramid workers could have been made easier.

See how as you watch this video, which he entered in the 2013 Sleek Geeks Eureka Science Schools Prize.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Workers constructing Egyptian pyramids used simpler machines than today's construction workers use. How do the builders of today move materials? How do they get heavy materials to the top of tall buildings?
  2. 2.Identify the parts of the inclinator. Consider the question this experiment is designed to answer. Will the design ensure a fair test? What is being changed, measured or kept constant? In terms of force, what makes the block move up the ramp? What is the relationship between ballast and ramp angle? Why does Angus repeat the experiment? Do the results of the experiments differ?
  3. 3.Create a representation of the inclinator and experimental procedure. Label its parts using everyday and scientific terms. Why does Angus convert his table of results into a graph? What conclusions does he come to? Explain. In his evaluation, Angus says he would carry out three runs of the experiment. Why? He suggests other variations on the design. What are they and why does he think they'd be useful?
  4. 4.Angus speaks of how the invention of the wheel could have helped workers move their heavy loads. Think of large and small machines currently used. Choose one to investigate. What problem was it invented to solve? When was it invented and by whom? How has it made life easier? Do a report on it, and include the science of how it works. Investigate the history of the wheel.


Acknowledgements

This film was made by Angus Atkinson. It was highly commended in the 2013 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize, Primary. The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes reward excellence in research & innovation, leadership & commercialisation, science communication & journalism and school science. More information is available here.



Production Date: 2013


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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