Projects For Learning: Wind and Wave Generator

Materials Needed:

• 30 to 50 plastic drinking straws
• 60 to 100 small paper clips
• 60 cm to 1 m masking tape (2 pieces)

Procedure:

• Lay a 60 cm or longer (depending on the number of straws you use) strip of masking tape sticky side up on a table.

• Stick plastic straws to it at their midpoints, spacing them about 2 cm apart, along the entire length of the tape. Leave a small strip of masking tape at both ends to lap over the first and last straw.

• Place a paper clip in each end of every straw to increase the inertia.

• Place the second strip of tape opposite the first piece to hold the straws in place.

• Suspend the strip from the ceiling.  Observe the movement.