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Every gear has a job to do
When riding multi-speed bikes, riders need to shift gears when riding uphill, downhill or into the wind.
These riding conditions affect the amount of force that must be applied to the sprocket gears in order to
keep riding with a certain level of comfort and speed. (An illustration of a roller coaster’s starting climb
will also effectively demonstrate the use of sprocket gears.)
Journal Ch
eck
✓
Measurements of spr
ocket gear rotations
and gear ratios
✓
Weight and force me
asurements
✓
Descriptive comparis
on of the
feel and speed of the
force required for
varying sprocket gear
configurations
✓
Explanation of how fo
rce measurements
support observations
✓
Description of why b
icycles are best serve
d
by sprocket gears
✓
Lists of other machin
es which use
sprocket gears
The Sprocket Bicycle Gear Lesson Plan
Materials
-no special materials required
• Identify a sprocket gear
• Demonstrate how sprocket gears function
• Explain the advantages offered by sprocket gears of the
same and different gear ratios and their effect on force
and speed
• Measure applied forces with a Rubber Band Scale and determine
Mechanical Advantage
• Determine if sprocket gears change force, speed or direction
• Demonstrate the significance and advantage of gear ratios and force spread
over distance
• Compare and contrast sprocket gears with other gears
• Determine the appropriateness of sprocket versus other gears used in
certain machines
Objectives
Lesson Length:
30-45 minutes
Summary of Contents for Education Simple Machines Deluxe GEARS
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