Mobile Forces
The application of engineering principles is explored in the creation of mobiles. As students create their own mobiles, they take into consideration the forces of gravity and convection air currents. They learn how an understanding of balancing forces is important in both art and engineering design.
Figure 1. Constellation Mobile by Alexander Calder, 1943. A free-standing mobile made of wood, string, wire and paint.Copyright National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/calder/realsp/room9-8b.htm
When creating a mobile, Alexander Calder balanced all the forces created by the hanging objects. In the construction of buildings or bridges, engineers also balance forces. They make sure their design can support the anticipated forces caused by people, hot tubs, nature, cars, etc. So, they add up all the potential forces that could be applied to a structure and compare that to the amount of force their design can hold. This is similar to what artists do, but instead of balancing the forces to make sure a mobile can hold the weight and look intriguing, engineers balance the forces to create safe form and structure for people to use.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand that engineers and artists use the same concepts of forces to create a design.
- Understand the relationship between forces and mobiles.
- Experiment with materials, tools, techniques and processes that enhance communication of ideas through art.
- Practice using numbers to describe balanced forces in example math problems.