The engineering design process: goals, limits, testing and choosing

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Design A is strong but uses lots of paper. Design B uses little paper but is weaker. What might Esme's team try next?

   • Combine A's folded beam with B's light layout, then test
   • Pick A, since strength is what counts
   • Pick B, since it uses the least paper, and skip any testing
   • Designs cannot be mixed; choose just one
2. 2.

   Filter X makes the clearest water but works slowly. Filter Y works fast but leaves water cloudy. What should Jun suggest?

   • Keep X, since clear water matters more than anything else
   • Use both filters and skip testing
   • Mixing designs breaks the rules
   • Try X's fine sand under Y's gravel and test the mix
3. 3.

   Cooler 1 keeps drinks cold longest; cooler 2 is the lightest. A new design puts cooler 1's foam lining in cooler 2's shell. What must happen next, says Kira?

   • Test the new design several times
   • Test it once, then finish
   • Nothing; combining makes success certain
   • Throw it out, since mixed designs cannot work
4. 4.

   Luz's friend says engineers should build the final product first and fix problems later. Which response is best?

   • Disagree: define the problem and test models first
   • Agree: one try is usually right the first time around
   • Agree: testing wastes time
   • Disagree: engineers stop at drawings
5. 5.

   Decision matrix with cost as one column among several criteria. A classmate says the cheapest design is always the best one. Milo checks the design matrix. Which response is best?

   • Disagree: the most expensive design is always best
   • Agree: cost is the only thing that matters
   • Disagree: the best design meets all criteria within the constraints
   • Agree: cheap designs need no testing
6. 6.

   Two columns, criteria and constraints, with "budget" not yet sorted. Noah's cousin says a budget is a criterion, just like strength. Which response is best?

   • Disagree: budgets do not matter when engineers design things
   • Disagree: a budget is a constraint, a limit to stay within
   • Agree: criteria and constraints mean the same
   • Agree: everything in a plan is a criterion
7. 7.

   Foam, keeps cold 3, light 1, cheap 2; metal, 3, 1, 1; fabric, 1, 3, 3. The team counts keeping cold double. Using the matrix, which cooler design wins, by Pia's math?

   • They tie on points
   • Fabric, which wins without the double
   • Foam, with 9 points
   • Metal, tied for keeping cold
8. 8.

   Decision matrix with one column labeled ×2. Why might a design team count one criterion double, as Ren explains?

   • It matters most to the people using the design
   • So the team can skip testing
   • To make the numbers look bigger
   • Because constraints count double in a decision matrix
9. 9.

   Two coolers side by side with four plan cards. To compare two coolers fairly, which test plan does Zee choose?

   • Build a third cooler before testing these
   • Test one cooler in the sun and one in the shade
   • Same drinks, start temperature and spot; three trials each
   • Test each cooler just once
10. 10.

    To test which wing shape flies farther, what should Bo do?

    • Pick the coolest-looking plane
    • Throw each plane several times the same way, indoors
    • Throw each plane once
    • Use different paper for each plane