PostedApril 16, 2019

Posted byTeach Engineering Team

https://www.teachengineering.org/curricularunits/view/cub_airplanes_curricularun...

The airplanes unit begins with a lesson on how airplanes create lift, which involves a discussion of air pressure and how wings use Bernoulli's principle to change air pressure. Next, students explore the other three forces acting on airplanes—thrust, weight and drag. Following these lessons, students learn how airplanes are controlled and use paper airplanes to demonstrate these principles. The final lessons addresses societal and technological impacts that airplanes have had on our world. Students learn about different kinds of airplanes and then design and build their own balsa wood airplanes based on what they have learned.

PostedApril 16, 2019

Posted byTeach Engineering Team

https://www.teachengineering.org/sprinkles/view/cub_strawbridges_sprinkle

Students design, build and test truss bridges made of straws and tape to see how much weight they can support.

PostedApril 11, 2019

Posted byTeach Engineering Team

https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/ucd_energy_lesson03_activity1

Students play the role of engineers as they test, design and build Mentos® fountains—a dramatic example of how potential energy (stored energy) can be converted to kinetic energy (motion). They are challenged to work together as a class to optimize the design of the basic soda/candy geyser made by the teacher. To do this, three research teams each investigate how a different variable—nozzle shape, soda temperature, number of candies—affects fountain height. They devise and run experimental tests to determine the best variable values. Then they combine their results to design the highest fountain to compete head-to-head with the teacher's geyser design.