TryEngineering: Design a Dome

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published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
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This is a lesson plan that explores principles in civil engineering and architecture, developed to help teachers integrate engineering practices in the secondary classroom. Students work in teams to design and build a small dome frame out of everyday items that can hold a weight on top without collapsing. The driving question of the lesson: How do civil engineers design and build domes, taking into consideration the forces of compression and tension?

The lesson follows a module format that includes objectives and learner outcomes, problem sets, student guides, recommended reading, illustrated procedures, worksheets, and background information about the engineering connections. This resource is part of TryEngineering.org.

Editor's Note: Teachers: Try combining this lab with interactive digital labs on forces and structural materials. See Related Materials for links to two editor-recommended web resources from PBS and Teachers' Domain.

http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Classical Mechanics - Newton's First Law = Inertia at Rest - Statics of Rigid Bodies = Equilibrium = Stresses Education Practices - Active Learning Other Sciences - Engineering	- Middle School - High School	- Instructional Material = Activity = Instructor Guide/Manual = Laboratory = Lesson/Lesson Plan = Student Guide - Audio/Visual = Illustration

Appropriate Courses	Categories	Ratings
- Physical Science - Physics First	- Lesson Plan - Activity - Laboratory - Assessment - New teachers	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

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Intended Users:: Educator
Learner
Formats:: application/pdf
application/ms-word
text/html
Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2010 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Keywords:: applied physics, building structures, compression, engineering activity, engineering lab, engineering lessons, structural engineering, tension
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created July 30, 2012 by Gnana Subramaniam
Record Updated:: January 14, 2013 by Caroline Hall
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 4, 2010

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AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

4. The Physical Setting

4D. The Structure of Matter

3-5: 4D/E6. All materials have certain physical properties, such as strength, hardness, flexibility, durability, resistance to water and fire, and ease of conducting heat.

4F. Motion

9-12: 4F/H4. Whenever one thing exerts a force on another, an equal amount of force is exerted back on it.

8. The Designed World

8B. Materials and Manufacturing

6-8: 8B/M2. Manufacturing usually involves a series of steps, such as designing a product, obtaining and preparing raw materials, processing the materials mechanically or chemically, and assembling the product. All steps may occur at a single location or may occur at different locations.

11. Common Themes

11B. Models

3-5: 11B/E3. A model of something is similar to, but not exactly like, the thing being modeled. Some models are physically similar to what they are representing, but others are not.
9-12: 11B/H5. The behavior of a physical model cannot ever be expected to represent the full-scale phenomenon with complete accuracy, not even in the limited set of characteristics being studied. The inappropriateness of a model may be related to differences between the model and what is being modeled.

12. Habits of Mind

12D. Communication Skills

6-8: 12D/M8. Explain a scientific idea to someone else, checking understanding and responding to questions.
6-8: 12D/M9. Prepare a visual presentation to aid in explaining procedures or ideas.

This resource is part of a Physics Front Topical Unit.

Topic: Dynamics: Forces and Motion
Unit Title: Applications of Newton's Laws

Kids explore civil engineering and architecture as they design and build a small dome frame that can withstand a load of 120 grams on top without collapsing. Editor's Note: For a great 3-day unit that brings in concepts of compression and tension, blend this lesson with the "Teachers' Domain Forces Lab" and the PBS Building Big digital resources in Activities directly below.

Link to Unit:

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<a href="http://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=12312">International Business Machines. TryEngineering: Design a Dome. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, December 4, 2010.</a>

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TryEngineering: Design a Dome (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2010), WWW Document, (http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78).

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TryEngineering: Design a Dome (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2010), <http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78>.

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TryEngineering: Design a Dome. (2010, December 4). Retrieved May 21, 2013, from Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78

Chicago Format

International Business Machines. TryEngineering: Design a Dome. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, December 4, 2010. http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78 (accessed 21 May 2013).

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TryEngineering: Design a Dome. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2010. 4 Dec. 2010. International Business Machines. 21 May 2013 <http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78>.

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@misc{ Title = {TryEngineering: Design a Dome}, Publisher = {Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}, Volume = {2013}, Number = {21 May 2013}, Month = {December 4, 2010}, Year = {2010} }

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%T TryEngineering: Design a Dome
%D December 4, 2010
%I Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
%U http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78
%O application/pdf

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%0 Electronic Source
%D December 4, 2010
%T TryEngineering: Design a Dome
%I Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
%V 2013
%N 21 May 2013
%8 December 4, 2010
%9 application/pdf
%U http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson_detail.php?lesson=78

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TryEngineering: Design a Dome:

Is Supplemented By Teachers' Domain: Forces Lab

A four-part interactive simulation that explores the forces to be considered in structural engineering: compression, tension, torque, and shear. Appropriate for Grades 4-9.

relation by Caroline Hall

Same topic as PBS Building Big: All About Domes

Explore the basics of domes with an interactive "Materials Lab" and a databank of information about 10 of the world's most famous dome structures.

relation by Caroline Hall

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