Do you think you can build a house that can withstand the shaking from an earthquake? In this activity, students design and construct model building that will be tested on a shake table with a force sensor. Activity includes questions...

The top priority when it comes to food waste is to avoid generating more. Food waste includes all food intended for human consumption that never reaches us, as well as edible food that consumers throw away. As it rots in landfills, food...

In this activity, you will use a temperature sensor to relate changes in sunlight to the temperature of the air trapped in a container.

In this project, students will build model earthquake-resistant buildings and measure their movement during a simulated earthquake using a mobile phone and a sensor app.

Students learn and practice how to find the perimeter of a polygonal shape. Using a ruler, they measure model rooms made of construction paper walls. They learn about other tools, such as a robot, that can help them take measurements....

Students explore the design of anemometers and how they are used in measuring the speed of wind. Working in teams of "engineers", they will design, build, and evaluate the effectiveness of their own anemometers, presenting their findings...

Students measure different types of small-sized beams and calculate their respective moments of inertia. They compare their calculations to how much the beams bend when loads are placed on them, gaining insight into the ideal geometry...

Student teams design their own booms (bridges) and engage in a friendly competition with other teams to test their designs. Each team strives to design a boom that is light, can hold a certain amount of weight, and is affordable to...

Students measure the permeability of different types of soils, compare results and realize the importance of size, voids and density in permeability response.

Students use data acquisition equipment to learn about force and displacement in regard to simple and complex machines. In the engineering world, materials and systems are tested by applying forces and measuring the resulting...

This activity helps students understand how a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot moves using motors and wheels. Then students relate the concepts of decision-making actuation and motion in humans to their parallels in mechanized robots, and...

Student pairs first act out the instructions a robot is given with one person providing instructions and the other person following the instructions. This activity helps students understand how a robot is programmed and with what type of...

Through four lesson and four activities, students are introduced to the logic behind programming using LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots.

Students learn and use the properties of light to solve the following challenge: "A mummified troll was discovered this summer at our school and it has generated lots of interest worldwide. The principal asked us, the technology classes,...

This lesson engages students in an activity to monitor animal foraging behavior on a spatial scale. The students will break into groups and track each other's movements as they move through a pre-determined course. The results will be...

Students are introduced to an important engineering element- the gear. This prepares them to apply this knowledge in four associated activities in order to create successful solutions to design challenges that use LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT...

Students learn about human reflexes, how our bodies react to stimuli and how some body reactions and movements are controlled automatically, without thinking consciously about the movement or responses. In the associated activity,...

Students explore the similarities between how humans move and walk and how robots move, so they come to see the human body as a system from an engineering point-of-view. Movement results from decision making (deciding to walk and move)...

This instructional activity introduces students to the major characteristics of robots. The associated activity uses the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT system as an example. Before studying robots in more detail, it is important for students to...

Through two classroom demos, students are introduced to the basic properties of lasers through various mediums. In the Making an Electric Pickle demonstration, students see how cellular tissue is able to conduct electricity, and how this...

Students learn how two LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT intelligent bricks can be programmed so that one can remotely control the other. They learn about the components and functionality in the controller and receiver programs

Thanks to autonomous technologies, it won't be long until computers entirely control much of the world's driving experience. But to become a fully viable, ubiquitous option, there are still significant hurdles to clear. This article...

In this lesson, students can use the CBR ranger to model walking distance over time. They will walk away from the sensor, back towards the sensor and finally away from the sensor over an interval of 10 seconds. The result should be 3...

Using the wet bulb-dry bulb method, students will compare the temperature of a dry temperature sensor and a wet temperature sensor. By comparing the temperatures, students will be able to find the relative humidity. After completing the...