Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. Tests are often designed to identify failure points or difficulties, which suggest the elements of the design that need to be improved.Īlignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback! Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints. Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, using fair tests in which variables are controlled and the number of trials considered.
Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions.Īlignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback! At whatever stage, communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs.Įngineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits, to decrease known risks, and to meet societal demands. Research on a problem should be carried out before beginning to design a solution.
Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design problem. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. People's needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies. Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account. The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:ĭefine a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.Īlignment agreement: Thanks for your feedback! Learn what causes earthquakes and how engineers use this knowledge to design more 'earthquake-proof' structures.ĭefine a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.Ĭlick to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation.Understand why engineers need to learn about earthquakes.Compare a model structure with what it represents.
Model an earthquake-proof structure using simple materials.Identify some of the factors that make buildings earthquake-proof, including cross bracing, large "footprints," and tapered geometry.Engineers use the engineering design process to come up with an idea, test it, and then re-engineer the structure based on its performance.Īfter this activity, students should be able to: Earthquake-proof buildings are intended to bend and sway with the motion of earthquakes, or are isolated from the movement by sliders. Because earthquakes can cause walls to crack, foundations to move and even entire buildings to crumple, engineers incorporate into their structural designs techniques that withstand damage from earthquake forces, for example, cross bracing, large bases and tapered geometry.