Lesson 72 of 84 · Engineering and Design
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🛠️ Engineer ShopHow Light Travels (Part 4)
Engineering and Design.
🎯 Your mission
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
⚡ The twist
Constraints make you more creative, not less.
Mind = Blown
🌉 The Eiffel Tower can grow 6 inches taller in summer because metal expands when hot.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you test: how many tries until it works?
What You'll Learn
Light travels in straight lines and can be reflected, refracted, or absorbed. Mirrors reflect light, lenses refract (bend) light, and dark surfaces absorb light.
Key Words
- data
- observation
Materials Needed
- tape
- scissors
- straws
- paper clips
- rubber bands
Safety First
- Do not mix unknown chemicals together.
Steps
Read about Engineering and Design and write down three key facts.
Design an experiment to test a hypothesis. Identify your independent variable, dependent variable, and controls. Run the experiment and present results.
Compare the before and after states.
Write your conclusion: did the results match your hypothesis? What would you change next time?
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is sound?
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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