To show Maths in Motion I have taken a photo of the Woodpecker in my Maths classroom a gift left behind by Mr Bell.
It is a mechanical toy. It does not require a battery.
To use it what you do to is pull the Woodpecker to the top of the metal pole.
There is a spring attaching the Woodpecker to a rind round the metal pole.
You pull back the Woodpecker in a direction away from the metal pole then release it. The Woodpecker springs towards the metal pole then goes forward and backward and as it does the ring and the Woodpecker gradually slide down the pole until it meets the base.
Potential energy changes to kinetic energy.
The overall effect is it appears the Woodpecker is pecking the metal pole as it slides down towards the base. It also makes a great little noise if it hits the pole though this doesn’t always happen and the beak can miss the pole.
I had to do several attempts on this photo to try to show the blur of the Woodpecker as it moves.
