Description and operation of a hydraulic pump
Characters:
Theme: Hydraulic pumps
Competencies
Mathematical competence in science, technology and engineering
Personal, social and learning to learn competence
Entrepreneurial Competence
Subjects and year by Educational System
Spain > Technology > 4th ESO > Technological operators
Enunciation
Read the following text about Josephine Cochrane and the dishwasher and answer the questions.
Josephine Cochrane devised, in 1886, what it is considered to be the first mechanical dishwasher. Unlike Cochrane's dishwasher, current dishwashers use pumps to create a constant flow of pressure water inside.
1- Explain the functioning of a pump and the concepts of nominal pressure and flow that we can find in a dishwasher pump.
Observations and context
This exercise can be used to highlight the importance of observing our surroundings in order to detect new needs, as well as to explain how technology helps us solve problems that arise in society. Another cross-curricular topic is how women have always been in charge of housework, an unfair situation that we need to change with our behaviour and the way we relate to others.
We can link Josephine Cochrane's invention to other everyday inventions made by women in the late 19th and 20th centuries: the sewing machine (Helen Blanchard), the hypodermic syringe (Letitia Geer), the coffee machine (Melitta Bentz), the disposable nappy (Marion Donovan), the lifeboat (Maria Beasley), the ink pen (Bette Nesmith Graham) or the windscreen wiper (Mary Anderson).
Description
TYPE: Exercise on researching and summarising information. Its main goals are:
- Connecting the concepts of flow and pressure.
- Learning about the different types of pumps.