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  • Energy and Earth

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students gain an understanding of the greenhouse effect as a natural process that traps warm air in the Earth’s atmosphere and is magnified by carbon emissions. Students compare the environmental effects…

  • Salty Seas

    Book Chapter |

    This lesson incorporates a scientific investigation of the properties of salt water. Students investigate the salinity in different types of water and ways that salt and other particles can be removed from drinking…

  • Water for All Challenge

    Book Chapter |

    In this final lesson, students use the knowledge they have accumulated throughout the module to complete the Water for All Challenge. The teams design and build desaladoras—desalination devices that use passive solar…

  • The Thrill of the Ride—History and Psychology of Amusement Parks

    Book Chapter |

    This lesson launches the module by having the students examine photos, watch a video of an art project with extreme amusement rides, and view the accompanying website, which connects how particular characteristics of…

  • Faster, Higher, and Safer

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students investigate types of energy transfer and run simulations to consider design factors for amusements such as speed, height, and sustainability. To get a sense of the physics behind the amusements…

  • Amusement Park of the Future Design Challenge

    Book Chapter |

    This lesson is the culmination of the module and synthesizes the knowledge and skills that students gained in the first two lessons. They conducted preliminary analyses and gave thought to design features and now they…

  • Technological Advances in Automobiles

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students are introduced to and experiment with mousetrap cars and the science and industry of crash testing cars with a focus on safety improvements. Students investigate the history of technologies that…

  • Reconstructing Collisions

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students use the law of conservation of momentum and energy to investigate the forces and motions involved in three scenarios—a car striking a stationary object, two vehicles colliding head-on, and two…

  • Crash Forensics

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students investigate the history of safety features in cars and apply this understanding to a question that has existed since the origination of civil society—Under what conditions should governments…

  • The Race for Tall Towers

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students learn the basics about construction materials, the construction processes used in building tall towers, and the forces and geometry associated with static structures. To be able to understand…

  • Success Through Failure

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students learn about the engineering concept of learning from failure by examining the collapse of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. They also learn about the science and mathematics behind the…

  • New Technologies for High-Rise Buildings

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, student teams are challenged to examine the collapse of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Each team will develop a proposal for a new or improved building material or method that could be incorporated…

  • Bridges in the Community

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students explore the state of infrastructure in the United States. Using bridges as a lens, they are presented with the challenge of developing a decision model for the local department of transportation…

  • Beam Bridges

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students take a closer look at beam bridges—one of the earliest forms of bridge construction—and the most common design. As they explore the basics of beam bridges, they experiment, collect data, and…

  • Arch Bridges

    Book Chapter |

    In this lesson, students explore arch bridges—one of the earliest bridge designs—and because of its beauty and strength, a design that has stood the test of time. Through experimentation, students investigate strength,…

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