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Curiosity grows through exploration.
Curiosity grows through exploration.
Browse a collection of free resources designed to make engineering engaging, approachable, and fun to learn, one question at a time.
Browse a collection of free resources designed to make engineering engaging, approachable, and fun to learn, one question at a time.
Articles
Articles
Every question has an explanation behind it.
Explore in-depth articles that go beyond our Instagram posts, with detailed explanations, additional facts, and trusted sources that uncover the engineering behind everyday life.
1. Everyday Objects
Why Are Pencils Hexagonal?
Explore why six-sided pencils became the standard, from preventing them from rolling away to making them easier and more comfortable to hold.
Why Are Soda Cans Shaped Like Cylinders?
Learn how a simple cylindrical shape helps engineers safely contain pressure while using less material and making cans lightweight.
2. Safety
Why Do Escalators Have Brushes?
Find out why those mysterious brushes aren't there to clean your shoes and how they encourage safer riding on escalators.
3. Aerospace Engineering
Why Are Airplane Windows Round?
Discover how a small design change solved a major engineering problem by reducing stress concentrations and improving the safety of modern aircraft.
Why Are Airplane Engines Mounted Under the Wings?
Discover how the placement of an airplane's engines helps reduce stress on the wings, improves maintenance, and makes modern flight safer and more efficient.
4. Sport Engineering
Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples?
See how hundreds of tiny dimples reduce drag, increase lift, and help golf balls travel much farther than a smooth ball ever could.
5. Environmental Engineering
Why Do Wind Turbines Have Three Blades?
Most modern wind turbines have three blades, but why not two... or even ten? The answer lies in a balance of efficiency, stability, cost, and engineering. Discover why three blades became the design used around the world.
Keep Exploring
Keep Exploring
Discover trusted books, videos, websites, and organizations that will help you keep asking questions, exploring ideas, and seeing the engineering hidden in everyday life.
📚 Books
📚 Books
Looking for your next engineering read? Here are a few books that inspired us. These books can all be found on https://openlibrary.org/.
Beginner-Friendly
Beginner-Friendly
📖 The Way Things Work Now by David Macaulay
A beautifully illustrated guide that explains how everyday machines and technologies work.
📖 Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik
Learn how the materials around us, from glass to chocolate, shape the world we live in.
For High School & Beyond
For High School & Beyond
📖 Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down by J. E. Gordon
An engaging introduction to structural engineering and why buildings, bridges, and towers stay standing.
📖 The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Explore the design decisions behind the products we use every day.
📖 Skunk Works by Ben R. Rich & Leo Janos
The story behind some of the world's most innovative aerospace engineering projects.
🎥 YouTube Channels
🎥 YouTube Channels
Practical Engineering
Civil engineering explained through real-world examples.
Real Engineering
In-depth videos about engineering, transportation, aerospace, and technology.
Veritasium
Science and engineering explained through curiosity-driven storytelling.
Smarter Every Day
Explore science and engineering through experiments and demonstrations.
Mark Rober
Creative engineering projects and problem solving.
Branch Education
High-quality animations explaining how machines and technologies work.
🌐 Websites
🌐 Websites
NASA STEM: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/
Free educational resources covering engineering, science, and space.
TeachEngineering: https://www.teachengineering.org/
Engineering lessons and activities created by educators and universities.
Science Buddies: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/
Projects, career information, and engineering experiments for students.
HowStuffWorks: https://www.howstuffworks.com/
Easy-to-understand explanations of everyday technologies.
🏛️ Museums
🏛️ Museums
Exploratorium: https://www.exploratorium.edu
Smithsonian: https://www.si.edu/learn
The Henry Ford Museum: https://www.thehenryford.org
🏆 Competitions
🏆 Competitions
FIRST Robotics: https://www.firstinspires.org
Science Olympiad: https://www.soinc.org
Technology Student Association (TSA): https://tsaweb.org
🎙️ Podcasts
🎙️ Podcasts
NASA's Curious Universe: https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/curious-universe
The Amp Hour: https://theamphour.com
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