Transcript Invention and Innovation Unit #4 Mrs. Mattson Carl Ben Eielson Middle School ETP 2006—Tanya Mattson This material is based upon work supported by the National.

Invention and Innovation
Unit #4
Mrs. Mattson
Carl Ben Eielson Middle School
ETP 2006—Tanya Mattson
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.
0402616. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Unit #4 – Engineering Design
Information for this presentation was taken
from the CATTS curriculum Unit #1 and
Valley City State University Unit #1
readings, unless otherwise noted.
Engineering


The formalized process through which
technology comes about.
The profession devoted to designing,
constructing, and operating the
structures, machines, and other devices
of industry and everyday life.
(encyclopedia.com)
Technological Literacy
Briefly defined as the ability to use,
manage, assess and understand
technology.
Engineering Design


Design involves a set of steps, which
can be performed in different sequences
and repeated as needed.
Each design problem is unique and may
require different procedures or demand
that the steps be performed in a different
sequence.

Engineers and designers also have their
preferences and problem-solving styles
and may choose to approach the design
process in different ways.
Engineering Method
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Identify the problem.
Define or “refine” the problem.
Gather information
Develop alternate solutions
Select and refine the best solution
Express the design solution
Build a model or prototype of the solution
Evaluate, revise, and refine the solution
Communicate the solution
Engineering Design
Engineering design is a multi-step process
that is often referred to as the conceptual
design process.
Conceptual Design


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An emphasis on engineering science
including math, physics, and chemistry.
The multi-step process.
This multi step process involves
modeling, testing, evaluating, and
modifying to develop practical solutions.

The generation of a concept.
• Concept:
• A general idea derived or inferred from specific
instances or occurrences.
• Something formed in the mind; a thought or notion;
an idea.
• A scheme; a plan.
Analytical Design



The increased emphasis on mathematics in
the design process.
Skill with many of these mathematical and
modeling tools can sometimes eliminate the
need for laborious and expensive prototyping
exercises which are often trial and error.
Analyze: To examine methodically by step
Analytic design does not replace
conceptual design; it merely emphasizes
use of mathematical modeling over
physical modeling and prototyping.
It may also de-emphasize other steps in
the process.
Who are Engineers?




They are practical people
They admire great problem solvers like
Edison
They see themselves as the problem
solvers for human kind
They are motivated by the same factors
as ordinary people
• Cars, bonuses, raises, etc.



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Engineers are obsessed with efficiency
Technically, efficiency is output divided
by input
Engineers are also driven to create labor
saving systems.
They often get so absorbed in their work
that they can fail to carefully examine the
social aspects of their work.


Engineers are the “movers and shakers”
in our society.
They are the people responsible for
technological advancement.
What is Engineering?
Engineering is the art of directing the great
sources of power in nature for the use
and convenience of man.
(Ferguson, 1994, p.1)
The engineering method is the use of
heuristics to cause the best change in a
poorly understood situation within the
available resources.
(Smith, 2004, p. 70)
What is a heuristic?



Anything that provides a plausible aid or
direction in the solution of a problem.
It is unjustified, incapable of justification,
and fallible.
It is used to guide, discover, and to
reveal.
Problem Solving
Vs.
Engineering Design

In Engineering Design, a multi-step
process is evident.

Technological problem solving is
something we all do everyday, from
getting our car started to getting a driver
installed on our computer.
Brainstorming



Is a group problem solving design process
in which each person in the group presents
his or her ideas in an open forum.
No person is allowed to criticize anyone
else’s ideas regardless of how inane they
may seem.
After all the ideas are recorded, the group
selects the best ones, and then further
develops them.
Modeling, testing, evaluating, and
modifying are used to transform
ideas into practical solutions.


Historically, this process has centered on
creating and testing physical models.
Models are especially important for the
design of large items, such as cars,
spacecraft, and airplanes because it is
cheaper to analyze a model before the
final products and systems are actually
made.
Types of Engineering





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Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Computer Engineering/Computer
Science
Mechanical Engineering
Standards and Benchmarks:

9: Students will develop an
understanding of engineering design.
• 9F: Design involves a set of steps, which can
•
be performed in different sequences and
repeated as necessary.
9G: Brainstorming is a group problem-solving
design process in which each person in the
group presents his or her ideas in open forum.