Bridge Building Challenge: Truss Analysis!

We can use our MD Solids software to see where tension and compression forces would be in our truss design:

How does my truss design below match up with the truss force analysis above?

Bridge Build Underway!

How much weight will you be able to support with 3 manila folders and 3' of tape?

Setting up our RC systems!

4th period is getting going with RC prop cars. Planes may be next...

Soldering Party!

Trenton discovered for us that if you short our two cell lipo batteries, that they will burn and shock you. Yeow! A good lesson learned via trial and error.

2nd Period Waffle Party!

2nd Period had a great waffle feast today. Nice job self organizing this. Special recognition to "The Back of the Bus" crew that really got the ball rolling on this:

Making Sketches in Inventor

Here is an example of how you can post images to your online portfolio (blog). Post images individually or you can group them by like problem:

Happy Valentines!

Hope everyone has a nice Valentine's day today :)

Who of our Engineers has Mrs. Davis? I know I have a bunch in 4th Period. She writes a handwritten note to each of her students for Valentines. How incredible is that? I was lucky enough to receive one of the cupcakes she hands out with them:

Stress Testing

We're going to get some new laptops. Superstar tech team member Jason brought by our test build machine today. The engineers figured the best way to test its graphics capabilities was to detonate massive amounts of TNT blocks in Minecraft. It handled the graphics load with flying colors!:
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Sea Perch Battle Royale!

Here's 5th period Sea Perch in action. We have some testing and a "capture the flag" style game going on. Thanks to Justin for the filming and to Mr. Zimmer for posting the video. Bonus points to Sammy for sporting the "Captains Hat"!:

Breakfast Bonanza!

The Engineering Projects course is honoring my intent that they use the flexibility I provide to take initiative to solve problems. Nice work!

All the food was great but Augie, Matt and Joe "killed it" with their sandwich press:

For all the food that got cooked up, we still got some good technical work done too:

MIT Inventeams?

Anyone interested in this opportunity?:

MIT Inventeams

Super Advertising 2013!

Whether the Superbowl is a good game or not, you can always count on companies and advertising agencies to bring out their "A game" for the commercials. What was your favorite add that you saw?

I thought this one was pretty funny. My dog Lucy has a bit of a "goaty" look at times and she can be a real beggar for food so this commercial resonated :)



Advertising isn't engineering, but as designers and problem solvers, there are some interesting considerations worth thinking about. Any technical project takes planning and money and there's a risk/reward payoff for the venture just like with these commercials.


As this week's Bonus Project, please complete the following on your online portfolio:

- What commercial most caught your attention this year? Use html code to embed the video on your blog.

- What about the commercial made it memorable?

- How much does it cost to air a commercial during the super bowl?

- What other expenses go into producing a commercial? What kinds of costs might these activities incur? (there's not a "right" or "wrong" answer for this, do some google research and justify a value)

- How many "widgets" (whatever the company is selling) will the company have to sell to cover the cost of their commercial? Share some math that justifies your answer.

- Do you think this add will cover it's costs directly (sell as many "widgets" as it cost to produce and air)? Does a superbowl add have value beyond direct sales that it generates?

Sea Perch Bonanza 2013!

Apps!

Sean and his crew have their game "Tap Dat" on his phone:

Pancake Party!

4th period organized a solid breakfast this morning:

TED Challenge 2013! Part II

Now that you've picked, viewed and taken notes on a TED Video (TED Challenge Pt I), it's time to move to the second part of the activity.


You will work with your team. Each student in the group has a unique talk they felt was exciting and relevant to the class.

The objective of your group is to:
1) Negotiate within your team to decide which video you'll use to represent the group.
2) Once your group has agreed on a video, prepare a breif presentation for the class.
3) Be prepared to present your talk when asked to do so.

Your presentation should:
A) Play the TED video your team chose. Be sure to introduce your video. Provide a little bit of context for what the class is about to experience :)
B) Each team member will prepare a conversation starting question for the class (open-ended "how" and/or "why", not Yes/No).
C) Explain how a student could get involved in the field in question in the future.

You will be able to use the class projector to support your presentation.

Points are awarded for:
(1 pt) The student who's talk is chosen to represent the group earns a point.
(1 pt) All the memebers of the group who's presentation is chosen as the best of the class earn a point.
(3 pts) Each student in the group earns a point for each of the above three presentation criteria (A, B, C) that are met in their talk.

Food for Thought:
-Will you argue for your video as the best to earn extra credit for yourself?
-Or will you support your team by picking a different video that will best help the group's chances?
-Or are you so sure of your own video that you feel it should be chosen for your group and that it will win the class competition as well?

TED Challenge 2013! Part I

Go to TED.com and spend some time investigating the site.

Once you've had a chance to familiarize yourself with the webpage, answer the following questions:

1) What is the TED organization about?

2) What is the purpose of their website and how does the functionality of their site support that?

3) As Engineers and Problem Solvers, which topic areas (the choices from the "Show talks related to:" section on the sidebar) are of most interest to us? Justify your answer.

4) Based on your previous answer, what are 3 talks (videos) on the site that appear like they would be of most interest to you as an Engineer/Problem Solver? Justify your choices.

5) Each student will watch a unique video (clear your choice with me... first come, first served!). Watch the video. Embed the video in your blog post and create a bulletized outline of the key issues presented in the talk.

6) How could you get involved in the field/technology/issue you chose to hear about? What experience/skills/training/education would you need to learn to get involved with this field?


Part II of the TED activity will have you negotiate within a group to select the "best" video to represent the group. The student with the chosen video will recieve extra credit. The group will then prepare a short presentation that summarizes the talk and will present to the class. The class will choose the best presentation and that group will recieve extra credit.

Logarithms

Mr Farrar stopped by today. I always like to find out what other teachers are up to so he brushed me up on why log is useful. Mr. Farrar is passionate about effective math instruction. A great personal example of finding work that you can really invest yourself in.