Apocalypto
Human history is punctuated by the prolific rise and inevitable collapse of civilization after civilization. Us as students had to formulate hypotheses for these cycles and compare our findings with historical evidence.
During this semester long project, we were each put into groups of four. Each person in the group had their own job. There was the machinist master of humanities, physicist, and graphic designer. I got the job of master of humanities. This meant I worked to keep the mechanism and theory historically correct, and I also designed a wedge on the wheel about the Mayans.
The biggest questions of the project were:
-What makes civilizations rise and fall?
-Why does it keep happening, and how do we prevent our own collapse/apocalypse?
-How can we display these cycles using our knowledge of simple machines?
For the humanities portion of the project we had to:
After researching the rise and falling of great civilizations (Mayans, Greeks, Romans, Eastern Islanders) we each created our own theory as to why civilizations rise a fall. We then each wrote an essay about one stage of the theory.
For the physics portion of the project we had to:
Construct a massive "Mayan type" calendar that will visually (and mechanically) represent the multiple cycles outlined by us. Each group, had to create their own mechanism based of of their theory. The mechanism should visually describe what happens throughout the theory.
Below are some of the many pieces of work that went into creating this masterpiece!
During this semester long project, we were each put into groups of four. Each person in the group had their own job. There was the machinist master of humanities, physicist, and graphic designer. I got the job of master of humanities. This meant I worked to keep the mechanism and theory historically correct, and I also designed a wedge on the wheel about the Mayans.
The biggest questions of the project were:
-What makes civilizations rise and fall?
-Why does it keep happening, and how do we prevent our own collapse/apocalypse?
-How can we display these cycles using our knowledge of simple machines?
For the humanities portion of the project we had to:
After researching the rise and falling of great civilizations (Mayans, Greeks, Romans, Eastern Islanders) we each created our own theory as to why civilizations rise a fall. We then each wrote an essay about one stage of the theory.
For the physics portion of the project we had to:
Construct a massive "Mayan type" calendar that will visually (and mechanically) represent the multiple cycles outlined by us. Each group, had to create their own mechanism based of of their theory. The mechanism should visually describe what happens throughout the theory.
Below are some of the many pieces of work that went into creating this masterpiece!