STIIX Pulley Project: Engineering With Simple Machines
In the STIIX Pulley Project, learners become mechanical engineers in STIIX-Ville, where the city needs a better way to lift boats out of the harbor. Their mission? Design and build a pulley system that reduces effort and improves lifting efficiency. This hands-on challenge invites students to explore how pulley configurations change force, distance, and work.
The project unfolds over roughly 2 hours of hands-on instruction, with five scaffolded videos (Intro, Academic Concepts, How-To Build, Testing & Evaluation, plus a Career Spotlight) guiding students through the science of pulleys and system design.
Students begin by sketching different pulley designs—single, double, compound—and thinking through how each setup impacts mechanical advantage. Then they build their systems using STIIX’s modular components and apply real loads to evaluate performance. During testing, teams measure force, distance, and lifting efficiency, and then they iterate based on their data to improve their design.
This isn’t just a build-and-forget activity: students reflect on trade-offs (more pulleys = more efficiency but more complexity), explore tension, and deepen their understanding of work and energy. Through iteration, they refine for optimal performance and make data-driven decisions.
Teachers are fully supported by a robust instructional package: lesson plans, student build logs, evaluation guides, slide decks, and reflection prompts—everything aligned to NGSS practices for engineering and force systems.
Bring structure and excitement to hands-on learning with STIIX-Ville — your digital hub for project guides, assessments, and student progress tracking.
What’s Included in the Box:
- STIIX structural building sticks & connectors
- Pulley wheels / sheaves
- Rope, cord, or string for lifting
- Load hook or lifting platform piece
- Build-log and design sketch worksheets
- Testing guide (includes force measurement & evaluation criteria)
- Reflection & iteration prompts
- Teacher slide deck + lesson plan
- Instructional videos (5 modules: Intro, Academic, How-To, Testing, Career)
