Audience
Educators
Grade Levels
Grades K-4, Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12, Informal Education
Subject
Physical Science, Flight and Aeronautics, Matter and Its Properties
Type
Hands-on Activities, Read About It
Shape Memory Alloy Activity
Through experimentation and/or demonstration, students will be introduced to shape memory alloys (SMAs) and how they are being tested to save energy usage on aircraft in the Shape Memory Alloy Activity. This will introduce them the development and testing NASA is conducting, which is the use of SMAs to make aircraft more sustainable.
K–12 *hands-on activity recommended for grades 5-12 (for lower grades, the activity is recommended as a demonstration).
Students will test a piece of nitinol wire (a shape memory alloy) and immerse it in hot water, then compare the outcome to the effect of hot water on a more standard item such as a paperclip. After finding out how NASA and others are using shape memory alloy technology, they will then discuss or develop a way they could use this same technology.