38

Lesson 38 of 84 ยท Human Impacts on Earth

Experimentโญ 30 XP๐ŸŒฟ Wild Jungle

Engineering Constraints and Criteria (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #38

Human Impacts on Earth.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

โšก The twist

Every species solves the same problem differently.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐ŸŒณ Trees can talk to each other through underground fungus networks.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Before you watch: what do you think it'll do?

What You'll Learn

Engineers must consider constraints (limitations like cost, time, and materials) and criteria (requirements the solution must meet) when designing solutions to problems.

Key Words

  • criteria
  • iteration
  • wavelength

Materials Needed

  • cups
  • aluminum foil
  • ruler
  • markers

Safety First

  • Wash hands after handling materials.
  • Be careful with scissors โ€” ask an adult for help if needed.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Read about Human Impacts on Earth and write down three key facts.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Conduct a design challenge: build a car powered only by a balloon. Measure how far it travels and iterate on your design at least twice.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Create a data table to organize your measurements.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What is peer review?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

This is why plants grow toward windows and why scabs form.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Watch a plant or pet for 5 minutes today and write down what you noticed.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œTell me something you noticed about your own body today.โ€

๐ŸŽฏ

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

๐ŸŒก๏ธShare card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ

Checkout complete lesson on Human Impacts on Earth for 8th Grade

Get the full Human Impacts on Earth track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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