Matchstick Models

Matchstick Models by Arvind Gupta, Art & Craft Activities for Kids: 2_1.gif "Science, in essence, is a viewpoint -- a worldview, an ability to critically examine phenomenon. It is an ability to see patterns, structures, sequences, trends, commonalities, regularities and generalities -- in short, an ability to perceive and discover an order in the universe. From this point of view, every object is a piece of scientific apparatus and every child a budding scientist."

-- Arvind Gupta,
author of Matchstick Models and Other Science Experiments

Here are some exciting experiments and toys for your creative minds. To be a part of them, you only need things like matchsticks, buttons, etc., which you might already be having in your precious possession. Follow the exercises and see, for instance, how a match box becomes a 'magic box'. And what's more, you can discover some of the most important scientific principles this way!

So just go ahead and let the scientist in you take over...

Any mecanno, even of the most expensive sort, when stripped of its frills and fancies essentially reduces to a few building blocks and couplings. These basic blocks and couplings can be joined together in a variety of ways to create an array of different structures and configurations.

Matchstick Models uses matchsticks as the basic structural members and bits of cycle valve tube as the joints. Cycle valve tube is sold by weight in cycle shops. A 100 gms. packet cost between Rs. 5 to 6, and contains about 16 metres of cycle valve tube.

Choose either from indexed menu below or just click NEXT Button for the ride.

[ Joint - of - two ] The flexible joint - of - two can be used for illustrating angles - acute, right, obtuse and straight angles.

[ Rigidity of a triangle ] Why is the triangle the only rigid shape, where as the hexagon, the pentagon, the square and the rectangle are all wobbly and shaky?

[ Triangles in use ] Triangles do not shake, that is why they are used in Railway bridges, electric towers and even village huts, which are all arranged in the triangular form.

[ Joint - of - three ] The tetrahedron is one of the most fundamental structures found in nature.

[ Rigidity of a tetrahedron ] Check out - where is it used in our daily life?

[ Length ] How would you measure the length of an object without a scale? Do it yourself.

[ Volume ] It's very easy to measure volume. Learn to make standards for measurements.

[ Weight ] Make a weighing balance using leaf cups or empty polish tins for the pan.

[ Matchbox trolly ] You can do a whole range of experiments in dynamics, like the roll - and - drag friction experiment, etc. with this.

[ Matchbox tipper truck ] Lets make a working model of a tipper truck. The cut shell becomes the driver's cabin. Make a hole in the driver's cabin and.......

[ Tipper and trailer ] Similarly you can convert the matchboxes into wagons on wheels.

[ Inertia pump ] The cheapest water pump of the world. Design it at home...

Matchstick Models by Arvind Gupta [Art & Craft Activities for Kids]

By: Arvind Gupta; Illustrations by D.K. Sharma