Why Did They Make It That Way?
Name:__________________________________________
Class period: _________
Look at this photograph of some common items. There is a legend below the photograph to help identify
them:
1- Cosmetic brush 4-Cotton glove 7-Wood toothpick 10-Crayon
13-Safety pin
2-Hair clip
5-Marshamllow 8-Foam paintbrush 11-Foam ear plugs 14-Pencil
3-Clothespin
6-Craft stick
9-Nail file
12-Breath mint
15-Phillips screwdriver
Design and Engineering
Why do you think these items were made the way they were? Why were they thought up in the first
place? Why are some made out of metal, or plastic, or wood, or fabric? Why aren’t they larger or smaller
than this? Have you used some of these? Are there things you liked about them? Things that you did not
like? Design and Engineering helped create the many things we use every day.
Design: The process of identifying a want or need and finding a way to satisfy it.
Engineering: The business of studying everything around us so we can create designs to make our world
better.
Sometimes things that are designed and engineered create problems such as pollution and waste.
However, most designed and engineered products have helped people live better, healthier, happier
lives. Also, design and engineering take a lot of time and effort. For example, how many steps do you
think it would take to create a vitamin pill? Would you believe over fifty?! Here are some actual names of
steps used in making coated vitamin pills: material extraction; pulverization; powder dispensing; binding;
granulation; screening; lubrication; dry milling; mixing; compression; liquefaction, etc.
RESOURCE FOR: Engineering and the Design Process
The Design Process
Because the design and engineering processes can be very complicated, engineers follow rules to make
sure they don’t waste time or money. Even worse, some failed designs could be dangerous to people. The
rules that help engineers turn designs into usable products are called the Design Process. Here is an
example of a Design Process used by engineers around the world:
1-Identify a problem
2-Ask why the problem exists
3-Come up with a solution to the problem
4-Try out the solution to make sure it works
5-If it did not work, go back to finding another answer
6-If it did work, share it with others who need that problem solved, too
You are going to use the Design Process to see if you can make one of the 15 items in the photograph
even better! You can start the design process by saying, “It is not good when…….” The answer to that
question will be Step 1- Identify a problem. Here are some examples:
“It’s not good when a toothpick breaks too easily”
“It’s not good when gloves get holes in them while I am using them”
“It’s not good when breath mints don’t keep my breath fresh for very long”
Directions: Follow the Design Process steps in the table below to see if you can create a better design for
any of the 15 items in the photograph. Identify a problem in Step 1 and continue to write your solution
ideas in the remaining steps. Your instructor may have you repeat the Design Process for more than one
item.
The Design Process
Steps
Write your answer to each step in the Design Process
1-Identify a Problem (It’s not good when….)
2-Ask why the problem exists.
3-Come up with a solution to the problem.
4-What would you do to try out the
solution to make sure it works?
5-Would your idea really work? If it would,
write ‘Yes’ and go to Step 6. If it would
not, go back to Step 2 and continue again.
6-If it would work, how would you share it
with others who need that problem
solved, too?
RESOURCE FOR: Engineering and the Design Process
Sketching
An Engineer Notebook is simply a notebook or journal of notes, sketches, ideas, and thoughts an
engineer has while he or she is in the process of designing. If you were to make a sketch (simple drawing)
of an improved version of the item you chose in the Design Process chart, what would it look like? Here is
a sketch of a triple-thick breath mint to make it last longer:
Sketch your idea in the graph below as if it were a page in your own engineer notebook. You can use a
pencil or a pen. Don’t worry too much about a perfect drawing. Sketches are just to get the ideas on
paper to begin with. Your instructor may have you sketch more than one item or idea.
RESOURCE FOR: Engineering and the Design Process
Reverse Engineering
Reverse Engineering is when designers and engineers look at all the different parts of something one at a
time to see how it was made. That way it can be studied in detail to see if there is a way to make it even
better through the Design Process. Here is an example of a reverse engineered wooden clothespin:
If you were a designer, what would you do to make this better? Think of anything about its shape, color,
size, weight, number of pieces, types of materials used (wood and metal), etc. Pick one of those attributes
about the clothespin and write in your engineer notebook below how you would make it better:
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Career Options
Using resources available to you (such as trusted internet sites), list 4 careers related to Design
and Engineering:
1- ____________________________
3- ____________________________
2- ____________________________
4- ____________________________
You are finished! Please turn this assignment in to your instructor.
RESOURCE FOR: Engineering and the Design Process