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

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Ari's team must keep a playground slide cool on sunny days. What is the first step of the engineering design process?

   • Define the problem: its criteria and constraints
   • Test a shade before drawing any plan
   • Pick the prettiest color for the shade before anything else
   • Build the final shade right away
2. 2.

   Define (done), brainstorm (done), and two empty boxes. After brainstorming three shade ideas, what should Bo's team do next?

   • Stop here, since the first idea is good enough to build
   • Throw out the ideas and start over
   • Skip testing and install one
   • Choose a promising idea and build a model to test
3. 3.

   Marked and an arrow to the next box. A test shows the model shade tips over in strong wind. Which step comes next for Kira's team?

   • Install it anyway
   • Paint it so it looks sturdier in the wind
   • Improve the design and test it again
   • Give up on shades altogether
4. 4.

   Paper bridge across a 30 cm gap; hold pennies; use no more than 4 sheets of paper. Jun's class is building paper bridges across a 30 cm gap. Which one is a constraint?

   • Hold as many pennies as possible on top
   • Stay level across the gap
   • Use no more than 4 sheets of paper
   • Be strong in the middle
5. 5.

   Garden-water filter; make muddy water clearer; work quickly; use only classroom materials. Milo's class designs a filter to clean muddy water for watering the garden. Which one is a constraint?

   • Let water through the filter quickly
   • Use only classroom materials
   • Catch the sand
   • Make the water clearer

6. Read this first

   Decision matrix (model data), scores 1 to 3

   Design A, strength 3, uses little paper 1, easy to build 2; Design B, 2, 3, 3; Design C, 3, 2, 1.

7. 6.

   Noah's team scored three bridge designs from 1 (low) to 3 (high). Which design has the highest total?

   • Design B, with 8 points
   • They tie, so any one will do
   • Design C, also top for strength
   • Design A, the strongest
8. 7.

   Using the same matrix, which design is best at using little paper, by Pia's reading?

   • Design A, since strength matters most
   • Design A, scoring 1
   • Design B, scoring 3
   • Design C, the strongest one
9. 8.

   Design A scores 3 for strength but 1 for using little paper. What does that tell Ren?

   • A uses very little paper
   • A is strong but uses a lot of paper
   • A can skip testing, since it is strong
   • A is the top design overall
10. 9.

    Table, Repeated trials (model data), with columns Trial 1, Trial 2, Trial 3. Why do engineers repeat tests on the same design, as Zee explains?

    • One test is plenty; repeats waste time
    • One test could be a fluke; repeats show if results hold
    • To use up the extra materials
    • Because first tests do not count

11. Cooler trials (model data)

    Trial	Hours cold
    1	4.0
    2	4.2
    3	3.9

12. 10.

    The cooler kept a drink cold for 4.0, 4.2 and 3.9 hours in three trials. What do the trials show Esme?

    • Just the first trial counts
    • The cooler failed, since the trials differ
    • No more tests should ever be run
    • The result is steady, about 4 hours