World's Strongest Manduca

Lesson Overview:

Students will test their Manduca's speed and strength. This experiment must be completed during the fifth instar. Students place a light, small plastic container (like a storage container or butter dish) over a their Manduca, and add pennies to the top of the container to test how strong their Manduca are.
** Manduca are most active during wandering stage.

Subject Area Focus: Science and Math

Objectives:

1. Test the strength of your Manduca
2. Measure distance using yardstick
   *optional stop watches, if testing speed

Materials:

• Clear Tupperware containers or butter tubs
• Pennies
• Yard sticks
• Stop watch

Procedure:

1. Measure the size in inches of each Manduca before you test it’s strength.
2. Place a Manduca under a Tupperware or butter container measure how far Manduca can push the container using a yardstick. Record measurement.
3. Test your Manduca’s strength by placing pennies on top of the container and seeing how far it can push the container with weight on top.
4. Using the data you collected (size of Manduca and travel distance) try and find correlations between size and distance able to travel. Are the biggest the strongest?
5. If you have cooperative Manduca you could set up a race. The winner could be the one that goes the farthest, or pulls the most weight…