Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determining Beam Stress and Deflection with COSMOSXpress

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students analyze cantilever stress using COSMOSXpress. In this engineering instructional activity, students calculate the beam's maximum deflection. They investigate the effect changing beam dimensions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Strong as the Weakest Link

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students discover the types of stress that materials undergo. They examine how bridges and skyscrapers are built to withhold the tension. They create their own structure out of marshmallows and spaghetti.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Bridges

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students, in groups, design and test a scale bridge. They use the Internet to research three basic bridge designs -- beam, arch, and suspension -- and the forces that act upon them.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Model Storage Facility

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students design a storage facility that can withstand extreme wind loads. In this physics activity, students decide how to build their facility considering budget constraints. They evaluate their design and present it to class.