Lesson 47 of 84 · Engineering and Design
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🛠️ Engineer ShopForming a Hypothesis (Part 3)
Engineering and Design.
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
The first design always fails. That's the point.
Mind = Blown
🛠️ The first computer bug was a literal moth stuck inside a machine in 1947.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: what's the weakest part of this build?
What You'll Learn
A hypothesis is a testable prediction about what will happen in an experiment. A good hypothesis is specific and based on prior knowledge or observations.
Key Words
- variable
- control
- data
Materials Needed
- popsicle sticks
- pennies
- plastic wrap
- cardboard
Safety First
- Dispose of materials properly after the experiment.
- Handle glass items carefully to avoid breakage.
- Do not mix unknown chemicals together.
Steps
Read the introduction and identify the main idea of this lesson.
Design a device that can protect an egg from a 2-meter drop. You may use paper, tape, straws, and cotton. Test it and improve your design.
Use your senses (except taste) to describe what you notice.
Write a summary of your findings in 3-5 sentences.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is the dependent variable?
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.
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