Happy February everyone! I’m back once again to continue my guided tour of the world of fischertechnik, and more specifically, how fischertechnik can become a valuable tool in your classroom.

Today we will look at one of my very favorite fischertechnik sets , the “Mechanic + Statics” set (item #93291), which is widely used in classes addressing such topics as Physics, Shop, Construction, Engineering, Bridge Building, and even Architecture.

This kit focuses specifically on the area of Mechanics known as Dynamics, along with of course Statics. Dynamics is a term which describes the change of movement variables. For example, whenever machines or gears units are set in motion, they are Dynamic. Statics, on the other hand, refers to the study of conditions under which the force acting on a body are in balance. This is the basis for all calculations and designs of constructions such as bridges or houses.

The kit includes 500 components and instructions for building 30 different models to help address these topics. Some of the concepts students will learn about include:

• Electric Motors and Revolutions Per Minute
  
• Gears—including Worm Gear Pairings, Toothed Gearing and Crank Gears
• Vehicle Drives—how different types affect transmission ratio and torque
• Compound Gear Unit
• Planetary Gear , Bevel Gear Unit, and a Differential Gear
  
• Mandril Screw Spindles, Joints, and Levers
• Crank-Rocker Gear Unit
  
• Four-Bar chain unit
• Coupler Mechanisms
  
• Principles of levers of equal length
  
• Torques
  
• Physics Golden
  
• Statical Triangles
  
• Bracing and Stability
• Bridge Design Fundamentals
  
• Building Skeletons
• …and more.

Even better, use of the fischertechnik Mechanics + Statics set along with the included multi-language teaching and activity guide will also help to support a number of academic standards and benchmarks as outlined in the “Standards for Technological Literacy” developed by the International Technology Education Association (ITEA).

To learn more about the Mechanic + Static Set, and the specific ITEA Standards it helps to support, please click here:

My next blog we will look at the fischertechnik sets for learning about renewable energies. In the meanwhile, if you have any questions about this set, or anything else fischertechnik related, you can email me directly at [email protected] . I’ll do my best to answer you as quickly as I can. So until next time, happy building!

Author: Lance Zurek