Air Pressure and Gravity

Lesson 5 – Biography of Lonnie Johnson

Objective

We will be able to understand the real world use for air pressure

Vocabulary Words

air- The mixture of gases, which form the atmosphere of the Earth

air pressure – the force of air pressing on a surface

propulsion – the force that moves something forward : the force that propels something

REVIEWING AIR PRESSURE

What have we done in class to show that we can make air pressure work for us?

Yes , we made balloon rockets

Explain how released air pressure makes things move.

Yes, those are all good ideas. The force of the released air pushes the object.

REVIEWING AIR PRESSURE

People who know about air pressure know that you can use it in many ways. Let’s meet a person who invented toys that use air pressure.

Biography Meet Mr. Lonnie

Johnson

LinexAt the age of 18, Lonnie Johnson was awarded first place in a national competition for his invention of “Linex”, a remote-controlled robot made from junkyard scraps.

Later he was a captain in the Air Force, where he worked as an engineer and won may awards, including a nomination for astronaut training.

Look at Mr. Johnson’s robot. What do you think it does? Make a hypothesis about what it can do, share you thinking with a parther.

Mr. Lonnie Johnson

Lonnie Johnson is a scientist and an inventor. He has worked on space projects at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Mr. Johnson helped make equipment that NASA used in outer space to study Mars and Jupiter. But what he loves most is inventing.

Jet propulsion has to do with making jet planes, rockets, and spacecraft move.

One of Mr. Johnson’s most popular invention is the Super Soaker water gun. It was one of his first toys to use air pressure to squirt water over long distances. Mr. Johnson has also invented toy rockets and airplanes. His toys rockets and airplanes fly using the power of air pressure.

Invented in 1988

Following His Dream

Mr. Johnson encourages young people to follow their dreams. He says, “ If there’s a problem that can be solved, that’s a good place to start looking for a project.

• Your task today is to think of a real world problem you have. For example cleaning your room, taking out the trash, or

something else you can think of. Then think about an invention that can solve the problem you have. In your science journal design your project. When your done write a paragraph

explaining what it is and how it solved your problem.

Creating a Project