Lesson 53 of 84 · Engineering and Design

Experiment⭐ 30 XP🛠️ Engineer Shop

Light and Shadows (Part 3)

🧪Lab Brief #53

Engineering and Design.

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

The first design always fails. That's the point.

🤯

Mind = Blown

🚀 The Saturn V rocket burned 20 tons of fuel per second at liftoff.

🔮

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: what's the weakest part of this build?

What You'll Learn

Mirrors reflect light. When light hits a mirror, it bounces off like a ball bouncing off a wall.

Key Words

design
build
plan

Materials Needed

straws
paper clips
rubber bands
string
cups
aluminum foil

Safety First

Adult supervision recommended.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Read the introduction. What is this lesson about?

Step 2 — Do

Build a tower from spaghetti and marshmallows. Measure how tall you can make it.

Step 3 — Observe

Look for something that changed. What is it?

Step 4 — Record

Circle the correct answer on your worksheet.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

Why do we record what happens in experiments?

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

🌍

Where you see this in real life

Your phone, your bike, your shoes — all designed with this idea.

🏆

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Build something — anything — out of stuff in your recycling bin.

👨‍👩‍👧

For the dinner table

“What's something around the house you'd redesign — and how?”

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

🧬Share card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

🖨️

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