Scientists vs. Engineers
This professional's primary goal is to understand the natural world by asking "why" questions.
Who is a scientist?
The limitations or restrictions in an engineering project, like available materials or budget.
What are constraints?
Any factor that can change or be changed in an experiment.
What is a variable?
The tool used in the spaghetti lab to measure the weight of the bucket after the spaghetti breaks.
What is a digital scale?
The reason why we repeated trials for our experiments several times.
What is to make sure results are viable?
This professional's primary goal is to design solutions to problems and create new technologies.
Who is an engineer?
The requirements for success in an engineering project, such as the payload being delivered safely.
What are criteria?
The variable that a scientist intentionally changes to see its effect.
What is the independent variable?
The property tested in the spaghetti lab, defined as the maximum stress a material can handle before breaking.
What is tensile strength?
According to the "Pro Tip" in the spaghetti lab, this is the process of adding up all your data points and dividing by how many data points you have
What is taking an average?
The development of the first automobile seat belt is an example of the work done by this kind of professional
Who is an engineer?
A first model of a solution that is built to be tested.
What is a prototype?
The variable that is measured as the outcome or result; it "depends" on another variable
What is the dependent variable?
In the spaghetti lab, the dependent variable that we measured.
What is the breaking weight?
In the wind-up car example from the lesson slides, this is the variable a student would change to see its effect on the distance a wind-up car travels.
What is the number of twists?
This is the process used by engineers that involves steps like Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, and Improve.
What is the Engineering Design Process?
An engineer who designs city infrastructure like bridges and skyscrapers
What is a civil engineer?
In the potato experiment from your reading, factors like the amount of water, sunlight, and soil type that are kept the same for all plants.
What are control variables?
In the spaghetti lab, the independent variable that was changed as a class to find the strongest pasta.
What is the brand of spaghetti?
An engineer who designs and develops engines, robots, and machines.
What is a mechanical engineer?
What is the relationship between science and engineering?
New tools from engineering allow for new discoveries in this field, and discoveries from this field enable new engineering solutions.
The reason the Engineering Design Process is shown as a cycle.
What is that you often have to go back and repeat steps like "Test" and "Improve"?
The reason it's important to change only one independent variable at a time.
What is so you know which variable is responsible for the results?
In the marble lab, the materials on the tray (like card stock and tape) are examples of these.
What are constraints?
The process where other scientists evaluate a published scientific work, including its procedures and conclusions.
What is a peer review?