Lesson 68 of 84 · Engineering and Design
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🛠️ Engineer ShopVariables in Experiments (Part 4)
Engineering and Design.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Every solution creates a new problem. That's good — that's the next project.
Mind = Blown
🚀 The Saturn V rocket burned 20 tons of fuel per second at liftoff.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: which design will hold the most weight?
What You'll Learn
Variables in experiments include the independent variable (what you change), dependent variable (what you measure), and controlled variables (what you keep the same).
Key Words
- hypothesis
- variable
- experiment
Materials Needed
- cardboard
- tape
- scissors
- straws
- paper clips
Safety First
- Do not look directly at the sun or bright lights.
Steps
Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.
Build a water filter using a bottle, sand, gravel, cotton, and charcoal. Pour muddy water through and measure how clear the output is.
Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.
Create a data table to organize your measurements.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is a hypothesis?
Where you see this in real life
Every bridge, building, and gadget you've ever used started with this.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find something that's broken at home and try to figure out *why* it broke.
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 this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Engineering and Design for 3rd Grade
Get the full Engineering and Design track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.