Melendez Valdés Circus workshop: Science and juggle.

(El mundo del Circo es un mundo muy atractivo para nuestro alumnado. Queremos con este taller que conozcan y busquen soluciones al equilibrio (estática), y también que encuentren en las leyes de la dinámica los movimientos asociados: el movimiento uniforme, movimientos con aceleraciones, acción y reacción, fuerzas, el movimiento parabólico, el movimiento circular uniforme, conceptos como  la aceleración angular...

Con esta visión introduciremos una situación ficticia para que posteriormente estudien las leyes que rigen dichas habilidades circeneses).

        In this workshop we will look for the relationship that the circus has with science and we will answer the following questions: Why does a disk stay in balance?

Why does it take time for a handkerchief to fall to the ground?

How do we get stilts to make us bigger without falling?

Why dowe have time to catch balls with two hands?

How do we stay on a unicycle?

Goals to achive:

- To make circus objects

- To relate science to the circus and juggling.

- To know the parabolic motion and gravity.

Contents to be developed:

They will learn concepts such as how to achieve balance, which is the center of gravity, which is a force and types of forces, which is pressure, structures, energy, and movement among others.

Methodology. 

This is the physics of balance and forces ...

In this workshop we are going to throw discs, hoops, we will maintain ourselves in impossible movements with Chinese dishes, we will maintain our balance on stilts, we will throw balls ...

Why is this happening?

The answer lies in concepts of science such as inertia, kinetic energy, the balance of forces ...

Gravity center

Knowing where the center of gravity of objects is gives us an impressive power to achieve the balance of objects: discs, clubs ...

We are going to fold a sheet of paper as if it were an airplane.

One of the tests could consist of holding the sheet by a single vertex, seeking the balance between the center of gravity of the paper and a single finger.

We will make a race carrying the paper without falling with a single finger.

Balance

An equilibrium can be achieved as long as the sums of all forces and moments are zero, that is, nothing can rotate.

With this cooperative game we are going to lie down on the knees of my companions, managing to “find the balance”.

It's not easy, but a lot of fun

Another of the cooperative games will be to balance between several people supporting the back on the partner's knees.

Air pressure.

The air has a lot of force. We don't see it, but we feel its "pressure."

We are going to carry out a challenge, which consists of carrying water from one point to another in groups.

The condition is that we must take a glass and a piece of paper, fill it with water, cover it with a paper, turn it over and check which group has more water in a given time.

Also with a bottle and ping-pong ball.

Parabolic movement and speed.

In this workshop we will make balls and clubs. Later we will practice and write a mail to compete in the courtyard against the rest of the groups.

To juggle the objects we will follow the attached documents.

We will learn what the parabolic motion is like, the forces involved and the associated speeds.

Necessary materials:

All the material such as balls, discs, clubs, rings, will be made by hand, so it is not necessary to buy it.

Workshop application:

- Construction of balls and cues during the activity.

- Competition and exhibition.

Activity: 

"We are a circus company. Due to pandemic situation , we have had no income for two years. That has prevented being able to buy material". 

We have a performance and we must make our own material with recycled ones. 

We are going to divide you into groups and work a various stations:

- Station number 1. Manufacture of jugglin balls with rice and balloons.

- Station number 2. Manufacture of light handkerchiefs with fabrics.

- Station number 3. Manufacture of rings with dessert plates.

- Station number 4.  Manufacture of clubs with plastic bottles.

-S tation number 5. Manufacture of caricas with balls or bags.

-  Station number 6: Manufacture of Chinese sticks.

Note: You can preactise for the performance whereas you are doing the activities.