Technology 7
Getting Acquainted (1 period)
Activity: Where are you from? Paper Cube
Technology is the knowledge of how to make things.
Engineers design solutions to human problems using models(often mathematical) of how materials and systems behave.
Paper Columns: Supporting a load (2 periods)
Students create a structure that is strong in compression, examine failure modes, and use failure analysis, collaboration, and the engineering process to improve their designs.
Floppy Towers (2-3 periods)
Students create a tall towers with limited materials, and explore how tension and compression interact in structures.
Bill Nye: Structures (1-2 periods depending on follow-up activities)
Bill explores tension, compression, and both man-made and natural structures.
BEAMS (1-2 periods)
Beams are horizontal elements that carry a load. They must be able to resist bending by being strong in tension along the bottom and in compression along the top
Arches work solely in compression, The weight of the arch is transmitted to the ground through the abutments.
BUILDING BIG: BRIDGES (2-3 periods with activities)
Autor and artist David Macaulay takes viewers on a 2000-year tour of bridge design, the forces that act on them, and notable failures and successes.
West Point Bridge Designer (3-4 periods)
See http://westonk12engineering.org/structures/pages/westpoint.htm
Engineering structures are typically designed, tested, and optimized using engineering simulation programs, which incorporate mathematical models of the forces that act on structures and the materials used, and enable engineers to easily incorporate and test changes to the design.
West Point Bridge Designer enables students to design, test, and optimize a design, going through multiple iterations.
Straw Bridges (3-4 periods)
Students design, test, and modify a bridge constructed of straws and pins, testing its efficiency.
Parts of a House Structure (1 period)
Students learn the basic parts of buildings, including footings, foundation, frame, roof, and sheathing.