Fourth Step

Optimization and Refinement 

• Initial knowledge: (Day 12)

  • Encourage students to use their experimental results and analysis to identify areas for improvement in their design.

  • Facilitate brainstorming sessions on potential modifications.

  • Emphasize the iterative nature of the engineering design process.

• Activities: (Day 13-15)

  • Design Modification: Based on their testing and analysis, students make modifications to their car design to improve its performance.

  • Re-testing and Analysis: Students repeat the testing and analysis process with their modified car to evaluate the effectiveness of their changes.

  • Mechanical Advantage Optimization: Students focus on how they can further optimize the mechanical advantage of their system to achieve the project goal.

• Resources:

  • Continued access to building materials and tools.

  • Time for experimentation and redesign.

• Feedback:

  • Review of proposed design modifications, providing feedback on their potential impact.

  • Evaluation of the improvement in performance after modifications.

  • Discussion on the limitations of their final design and potential future improvements.