Synopses & Reviews
How did somebody come up with the idea for bridges, skyscrapers, helicopters, and nightlights? How did people figure out how to build them?
In 3D Engineering: Design and Build Your Own Prototypes, young readers tackle real-life engineering problems by figuring out real-life solutions. Kids apply science and math skills to create prototypes for bridges, instruments, alarms, and more. Prototypes are preliminary models used by engineersand#151;and kidsand#151;to evaluate ideas and to better understand how things work.
Engineering design starts with an idea. How do we get to the other side of the river? How do we travel long distances in short periods of time? Using a structured engineering design process, kids learn how to brainstorm, build a prototype, test a prototype, evaluate, and re-design. Projects include designing a cardboard chair to understand the stiffness of structural systems and designing and building a set of pan pipes to experiment with pitch and volume.
Creating prototypes is a key step in the engineering design process and prototyping early in the design process generally results in better processes and products. 3D Engineering gives kids a chance to figure out many different prototypes, empowering them to discover the mechanics of the world we know.
Review
Praise for other books in the series:
Cities: Discover How They Work with 25 Projects
Winner of a 2014 Silver Moonbeam Award
School Library Journal
and#147;According to the 2010 Census, 80% of Americans live in urban areas. But do they know what it takes to make a city run? From this well-organized and engaging text, readers will learn how cities developed and grew. . . this is a worthy title for any library collection.and#8221;
Booklist
and#147;Propounding the emerging interdisciplinary paradigm of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and design, and mathematics), Reilly helps foster an appreciation for the way that cities function almost as organisms with vibrant systems and interdependent structures.and#8221;
Bridges and Tunnels: Investigate Feats of Engineering with 25 Projects
Winner of a 2012 Gold Moonbeam Award
National Science Teachers Association Recommends
"This book is a treasure trove of information, experiments, and building challenges, and is an excellent, exciting, and easy way to incorporate STEM education into your classroom, science fair, or after school engineering club."
Skyscrapers: Investigate Feats of Engineering with 25 Projects
National Science Teachers Association Recommends
and#147;Skyscrapers is a terrific book, especially for elementary teachers looking for ideas to inject more engineering into their classroom.and#8221;
School Library Journal
and#147;A useful title to supplement lessons on architecture, mathematics, or physics for classroom teachers or homeschoolers, and itand#8217;s an appealing initiation to the subject.and#8221;
About the Author
Vicki V. May holds a BS in engineering from the University of Minnesota and MS and PhD degrees in engineering from Stanford University. She is a professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and is also involved in various outreach projects that bring the challenge of engineering to middle and high school students. Vicki was named Teacher of the Year for Dartmouth and Thayer in 2012 and Professor of the Year for the State of New Hampshire in 2013.
Andrew Christensen is the illustrator of Canals and Dams: Investigate Feats of Engineering and Skyscrapers: Investigate Feats of Engineering for Nomad Press and is an art director at a hobby game company. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Engineering Design Process
Chapter 1: Strong, Stiff, and Stable
Chapter 2: Everything is Spinning
Chapter 3: Staying Afloat and Staying Aloft
Chapter 4: Prototypes That Use Chemical Reactions
Chapter 5: Prototypes That Produce Music
Chapter 6: Prototypes That Produce Light and Sound
Chapter 7: Prototypes That Generate Energy
Chapter 8: Design Prototypes of Your Own
Glossary
Resources
Index