
Explore the basics of engineering in this introductory course for middle and high school students, covering essential topics and helping learners build foundational concepts.
Discover scalars and vectors, distance versus displacement, and how these concepts describe motion in engineering. Understand Newton's laws and energy forms, and the conservation of energy.
Build a balloon rocket using a straw, balloon, tape, and yard string. Thread the string through the balloon and tie ends to two chairs, then blow up and release.
Explore material properties and the engineering design process to select materials for durability and functionality, using strength, elasticity, hardness, ductility, and thermal and electrical conductivity. Prototype and test ideas.
Explore how trusses use triangular units to support loads and distribute forces in bridges and towers. Learn stress as force per area and strain as deformation to predict material behavior.
Construct a popsicle stick bridge using 50 sticks and trusses to enhance stability. Test the finished bridge with weights to evaluate stability and performance.
Explore voltage, current, and resistance, and how Ohm's law links them to analyze circuits. Compare series and parallel circuits and distinguish conductors from insulators to support safe, reliable electrical designs.
Build a homemade windmill to power a simple generator using a battery, copper tape, and a motor, guided by step-by-step assembly of blades, cup housing, and circuitry.
Explore the six simple machines—lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw—and see how robotics use programmable machines to perform tasks efficiently.
Build a balloon-powered car using cups for wheels, a wooden dowel axle, straws, and cardboard, securing a balloon with a rubber band to power the drive.
Thank you for taking this course, and I hope you learned a lot about engineering.
This course will be covering the basics of engineering and all necessary information for anyone who may want to learn a little bit more about the field of engineering. This includes the basics of physics (newtons three laws, scalar and vectors, distance and displacement), material science, structures (trusses and stress / strain), electrical components (insulators, conductors, series and parallel circuits, voltage / current / resistance), and mechanical machines (simple machines and robotics).
Included in this course are a few brief exercises that can be done at home using simple materials that apply the lessons learned to hands-on learning. All of these projects also require mostly materials that are readily available at local stores to make it more accessible for anyone who may be interested in trying. This is meant to be a beginner course, so no experience is necessary and is meant to help support anyone who may be interested or not quite know much about engineering at all.
By the end of the course, students will have a foundational understanding of key engineering concepts and the ability to apply this knowledge in practical, real-world scenarios. The goal is to inspire curiosity and provide the tools needed for further exploration in the field of engineering.