Key Idea.
Section 1
Engineers Study Nature's Designs
Animals have body parts with special shapes that help them do certain jobs. The shape of a part is its structure, and the job it does is its function. A bird's wing structure is perfect for flying, while a fish's fin structure is perfect for swimming.
Engineers study these amazing designs in nature. They learn how a structure creates a function. Then, they copy these natural ideas to build new things that can help people.
Section 2
Engineers Follow a Design Cycle
Engineers follow special steps to solve problems. First, they learn about the problem and get ideas, like studying how a cockroach moves. Then, they create a plan or a drawing for their design.
With a plan ready, they build a first model called a prototype. They test this prototype to see how well it works and what needs to be better.
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Section 1
Engineers Study Nature's Designs
Animals have body parts with special shapes that help them do certain jobs. The shape of a part is its structure, and the job it does is its function. A bird's wing structure is perfect for flying, while a fish's fin structure is perfect for swimming.
Engineers study these amazing designs in nature. They learn how a structure creates a function. Then, they copy these natural ideas to build new things that can help people.
Section 2
Engineers Follow a Design Cycle
Engineers follow special steps to solve problems. First, they learn about the problem and get ideas, like studying how a cockroach moves. Then, they create a plan or a drawing for their design.
With a plan ready, they build a first model called a prototype. They test this prototype to see how well it works and what needs to be better.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter