3-D Engineering: Design and Build Your Own Prototypes
By Vicki V. May and Andrew Christensen
()
About this ebook
How did somebody come up with the idea for bridges, skyscrapers, helicopters, and nightlights? How did people figure out how to build them?
In 3D Engineering: Design and Build Your Own Prototypes, young readers tackle real-life engineering problems by figuring out real-life solutions. Kids apply science and math skills to create prototypes for bridges, instruments, alarms, and more. Prototypes are preliminary models used by engineers—and kids—to evaluate ideas and to better understand how things work.
Engineering design starts with an idea. How do we get to the other side of the river? How do we travel long distances in short times? Using a structured engineering design process, kids learn how to brainstorm, build a prototype, test a prototype, evaluate, and re-design. Projects include designing a cardboard chair to understand the stiffness of structural systems and designing and building a set of pan pipes to experiment with pitch and volume.
Creating prototypes is a key step in the engineering design process and prototyping early in the design process generally results in better processes and products. 3D Engineering gives kids a chance to figure out many different prototypes, empowering them to discover the mechanics of the world we know.
Related to 3-D Engineering
Related ebooks
The Maker's Field Guide: The Art & Science of Making Anything Imaginable Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGetting Started with Engineering: Think Like an Engineer! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrazy Contraptions: Build Rube Goldberg Machines that Swoop, Spin, Stack, and Swivel: with Hands-On Engineering Activities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmazing Rubber Band Cars: Easy-to-Build Wind-Up Racers, Models, and Toys Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Big Book of Makerspace Projects: Inspiring Makers to Experiment, Create, and Learn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Cutting-Edge 3D Printing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSimple Machines!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeaching Engineering, Second Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bots! Robotics Engineering: with Hands-On Makerspace Activities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gecko’s Foot: How Scientists are Taking a Leaf from Nature's Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Can Be a Robot Engineer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElectrical Engineering: Learn It, Try It! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExplore Makerspace!: With 25 Great Projects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Doable Renewables: 16 Alternative Energy Projects for Young Scientists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Robot Book: Build & Control 20 Electric Gizmos, Moving Machines, and Hacked Toys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/571 + 10 New Science Projects: 81 classroom projects on Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Electronics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Creative Engineer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maker's Guide to Building Robots: A Step-by-Step Guide to Ordering Parts, Using Sensors and Lights, Programming, and More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Beginner's Guide to 3D Printing: 14 Simple Toy Designs to Get You Started Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5STEAM Jobs in Social Media Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World's Greatest Backyard Games: The Definitive Guide to the World's Top Yard Games Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRobot Builder's Bonanza, 4th Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll About 3D Printing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLEGO Heroes: LEGO® Builders Changing Our World—One Brick at a Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArchitecture: Cool Women Who Design Structures Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking Things Move DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRobot Builder's Sourcebook: Over 2,500 Sources for Robot Parts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBioengineering: Discover How Nature Inspires Human Designs with 25 Projects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Children's For You
The Phantom Tollbooth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fever 1793 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coraline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Is Rising Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Over Sea, Under Stone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Number the Stars: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Much Ado About Nothing (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlice In Wonderland: The Original 1865 Unabridged and Complete Edition (Lewis Carroll Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPete the Kitty Goes to the Doctor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Island of the Blue Dolphins: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cedric The Shark Get's Toothache: Bedtime Stories For Children, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amari and the Night Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Day My Fart Followed Me Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Twas the Night Before Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tower Treasure: The Hardy Boys Book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Judge An Alligator By Its Teeth!: Benjamin's Adventures, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peter Pan Complete Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Shadow Is Purple Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Workbook on How to Do the Work by Nicole LePera: Summary Study Guide Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Dork Diaries 1: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dealing with Dragons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pete the Kitty and the Unicorn's Missing Colors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for 3-D Engineering
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
3-D Engineering - Vicki V. May
Introduction
ENGINEERING DESIGN
What are some of the things you use every day? How were they made? How do they work? How did the ink get inside your pen? How do the gears shift on your bike? How do we get the electricity you use for lights and television?
Engineers design products used by people all over the world. These products include cars, toys, buildings, movie animation, computers, iPhones, water filters, medical procedures and devices, and wind turbines. Just about everything that’s built was designed by an engineer!
WORDS 2 KNOW
gear: a rotating part with teeth.
engineer: someone who uses science, math, and creativity to design products or processes to meet human needs or solve problems.
turbine: a machine with blades turned by the force of water, air, or steam.
Engineers apply math, science, and technology to solve problems and meet goals. What would you like to design and build? Guidelines for designing and building a tower of raw spaghetti strands strong enough to hold a marshmallow can be found at the end of the chapter. What other design ideas do you have?
The line between engineering and science can often be blurry. But scientists tend to discover new scientific principles and engineers apply science and math so they can design and build new products and processes.
Scientists investigate that which already is; engineers create that which has never been.
—Albert Einstein
For example, Isaac Newton discovered the laws of motion and Henry Ford applied those laws to design automobiles. A Swiss mathematician named Daniel Bernoulli discovered the principle of lift in the 1700s and the Wright brothers used this principle to design an airplane. Scottish scientist James Clerk Maxwell discovered electricity and magnetism, which Thomas Edison applied when he designed the light bulb.
DID YOU KNOW?
WORDS 2 KNOW
technology: tools, methods, and systems used to solve a problem or do work.
scientific principle: a rule that explains a natural action that can be tested.
product: an item, such as a book or clothing, that is made and sold to people.
process: an activity that takes several steps to complete.
prototype: a working model or mock-up that allows engineers to test their solution.
What does it mean to design? The design process involves a few different steps.
ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS
1Identify the design goal.
2Ask questions to clarify the goal and make it more clear.
3Redefine the goal based on the answers to your questions.
4Brainstorm ways to meet the goal.
5Choose one of the alternatives.
6Design and prototype.
7Test your prototype.
8Redesign.
WORDS 2 KNOW
redefine: to define differently or think about a problem in a new way.
brainstorm: to think creatively and without judgment, often in a group of people.
While you probably don’t realize it, you are designing something when you draw a picture, build with Legos, and even when you put together your outfit for the day.
Let’s look closely at all the steps of the design process. You’ll find examples of these steps in the red type.
1 Identify the Goal. The first step is to identify your design goal. Are you trying to solve a problem, improve a product or process, or meet a need?
2 Question. During this step of the design process, ask questions to better understand the needs of the user. Maybe you need to conduct research, collect information, observe and interview users, or investigate what has been done before. The more information you can gather, the better.
3 Redefine the Goal. Once you have asked questions and gathered additional information, you might need to redefine the goal. Make sure your goal is clear and achievable. You won’t be able to design an appropriate solution if you don’t understand the goal. This redefined goal is clearer and includes information from the questioning phase.
Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works.
—Steve Jobs, founder of Apple
4 Brainstorm. During the brainstorming phase, come up with LOTS of ideas, including crazy ones, and write them down. You may choose to brainstorm alone or in a group. If you brainstorm with a group, be sure to be positive about all ideas, encourage craziness, and don’t judge.
DID YOU KNOW?
FABULOUS FABRIC
Fabric may not seem like a traditional engineering material, but many engineering systems use fabric-like material. Fabric has been used as sails on sailboats, roofs of buildings, water filters, and biomedical devices. The roof of the Denver International Airport is built of a fabric-type material.
5 Select Alternatives. Remember your design goal? Do all of your ideas meet that goal? You might have to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of different ideas to decide which ones to try. Always record your reasons for selecting different alternatives in your design journal.
6 Design and Build a Prototype. Sketch out different design ideas and build a prototype. Building prototypes is a critical part of the design process. It’s a good idea to build lots of models as early in the process as possible. These models don’t need to be fancy—they can be made out of paper and tape or other easy-to-find materials.
Designing and prototyping should happen simultaneously. The best designs occur after a lot of prototyping. Rather than spend hours and hours making your design drawings perfect, jump in and build a prototype!
WORDS 2 KNOW
simultaneously: at the same time.
7 Test Your Prototype: Keep in mind that most prototypes will not work perfectly—many will fail to work at all. Don’t get discouraged! Engineers learn just as much, if not more, from failed prototypes as they do from the ones that work. Once a prototype works, you can try to make it better.
8 Redesign Your Prototype: Once you have a prototype that seems to meet your needs, think of ways to