Transcript: Testing with Models

MATT: What if we build a Trojan horse?

DIGIT: A Trojan what?

MATT: A Trojan horse. A long time ago there was a big war between Troy and Greece, and the Greeks were locked outside the city gates.

JACKIE: Just like we are.

MATT: So they built this huge wooden horse ...and they hid inside it...and left it outside the gates of Troy.

JACKIE: To fool the Trojans.

MATT: Right. The Trojans thought it was a present and wheeled it right inside the city. Then at night, the Greeks snuck out of the horse and surprised them! Pretty cool invention huh?

DIGIT: We can do the same thing!

JACKIE: Build a giant hollow horse?

MATT: Exactly! Then we jump out, surprise Hacker and stop him from stealing the ooze.

JACKIE: I don’t know, Matt. I mean, even if we could build something like that, why would Hacker take a giant horse inside the fort?

DIGIT: I got it! We build a giant ducky!

MATT/JACKIE: A what?

DIGIT: A ducky! Because I heard Delete wish he had a giant waddling ducky to give to Hacker.

MATT: Hmmm... a toy duck for Hacker. It might work.

DIGIT: Anyone got a better idea?

JACKIE: No, let’s see what we can come up with.

DIGIT: Now what are you doing?

JACKIE: Drawing really helps me think when I’m trying to invent something...

MATT: Me too...It helps me get my ideas out of my head and see what else I might need.

DIGIT: Well I think this invention is going to need to move somehow to get inside that fort.

JACKIE: Digit you’re a genius. Let’s add a platform with wheels. How’s this?

DIGIT: Looks like a toy ducky to me!

MATT: What kind of wheels should our invention have? How many? How big? We’ve got so much to figure out and so little time!

DIGIT: And what if it doesn’t work after we build it?

JACKIE: I have an idea! We’ll make a model from my drawing to see if it works.

MATT: Yeah, but let’s just do the wheel part - the part we don’t understand.

JACKIE: Good idea! That way we can make sure they work before we build the big one, not after. But what can we use to build the model? Didge, you’re amazing!

DIGIT: Was there ever any doubt?

MATT: We can use this box for the platform.

JACKIE: Cool. Here, these pencils can be the axles!

MATT: Axles in.

JACKIE: Wheels.

DIGIT: Ta da!

MATT: English muffins! You’ve got to be kidding.

DIGIT: Come on, they’re really stale; they should work well enough for the model.

MATT: Wheels in place.

JACKIE: Looks good to me.

MATT: Okay, time for the test. Give it a pull, Didge.

JACKIE: It works!

MATT: Let’s build it!

DIGIT: Wh-oh! I just remembered something. Delete needs a ducky that waddles!

MATT: Okay, let’s see, there’s got to be a way to make it waddle... The axles are smack in the center of the wheels. What would happen if we changed it so that the axle’s not in the center of the wheel?

DIGIT: Hey, it still turns, but it kind of goes up and down too. Weird.

JACKIE: Maybe if we change all the wheels so they’re off-center our ducky will look like it’s waddling.

MATT: Let’s try it.

MATT: Okay, all four wheels are now off center.

MATT: Pull it.

DIGIT: Yoikes! What happened?

MATT: Now the wheels are banging together.

JACKIE: Oh, man. This is getting really, REALLY frustrating! I don’t see how to fix it.

DIGIT: Well, maybe we moved too far off center.

DIGIT: Ok, let’s try this.

MATT: Okay, the holes are closer to the center now.

DIGIT: Let’s see what happens.

JACKIE: Yes! Our invention works!

MATT: Now we build it!