ACTIVITY SHEET SCIENCE BEHIND BEHIND RAPUNZEL'S TOWER Most of the time spent by engineers involves solving problems. To make this process easier, they usually break the big problem down to smaller problems they can work on step by step. First, you need to get a good idea of exactly what the problem is. Rapunzel needs to figure out how to get down the tower. Next you want to collect information such as what materials does she have to work with and how far does she have to travel to get down to the ground. You will then want to brainstorm ideas as to how you can make improvements. Are there materials you think may work well with your design? Next, you will want to try out your ideas to see if they work the way you wanted them to. Did Rapunzel fall out of the design you made? Was it sturdy enough? Finally, you will want to make adjustments to improve on your design. Maybe there are other materials you can add to help fix any problems. Continue with this process until you have a successful design!
KEY TERMS • • • • •
Adjustment - a change made to achieve a desired result. Brainstorm - a discussion to produce ideas and ways of solving a problem. Engineer - a person who designs, builds, or is the originator of something. Information - facts provided or learned about something. Materials - things needed for an activity.
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