Activity: Airbags and Collisions
Posted on February 1st, 2020 by ASEE
In this lesson from Newton’s Apple, students learn about the engineering behind air bags, including the concepts of momentum and force. They then conduct a related experiment, cushioning the “crash” of a raw egg.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12 | Comments Off on Activity: Airbags and Collisions
Tags: Automotive engineering, Class Activities, design constraints, Egg drop, Ethics in engineering, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Safety engineering
Students in grades 6-12 disassemble one of two different single-use cameras and create a systems diagram and precise reassembly instructions for the device. They then attempt to rebuild the other camera using instructions developed by their peers. Through this reverse engineering activity, students learn about the work of systems engineers.
