When it comes to engineering, there’s a temptation to jump straight into building. However, engineers are problem solvers first and foremost. Understanding what the goal is, what constraints there are and how success will be measured are important parts of the engineering design process.
Learn more about engineering design in the following Whybricks activities:
Students begin their exploration at the foundational level of understanding gravity as the force that ‘makes things fall down’ before moving on to learning about gravitational acceleration and air resistance.
In this investigation, students explore the fundamentals of how gears work, including mated gears of different sizes. They then work through the engineering design process as they iterate and test a design.
This semi-open-ended lesson offers students a chance to demonstrate their understanding of physical science forces and simple machines in an engineering creation of their own design.