ScienceSource 7 - Unit B

Unit Task: Designing to Increase Energy Efficiency - modifying structures is often done to increase their efficiency.

• How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient - a walk-through of the many areas you can focus on for increasing energy efficiency.
• Saving Electricity- discover the amount of energy appliances in your home use.
• Heat & Cool Efficiently - what can you do to make the heating and cooling of your home more efficient?
• Winterize Your Home - great tips to increase efficiency during the coldest months of the year.

The Effects of Wind on Plants - these trees grow differently in the wind: #1, #2.

Structure Activities - try these activities to test your structure knowledge.

• The Dome Challenge - can you design the proper dome?
• Engineering Games - a cute collection of games involving things to build.

Solid Structures - a pile of similar materials forming a solid structure

• Natural examples are mountains and apples
• Manufactured examples are dams and sand castles.
• Solid structures can have hollow parts as well, like caves in a mountain, or tunnels in a pyramid.

Frame Structures - frame structures are made of many parts, called structural components, that are all attached together.

• Natural examples are skeletons and spider webs.
• Manufactured examples are bleachers and bike frames.

Shell Structures - a thin outer layer, with no frame structure inside, supports the structure.

• Natural examples are turtle shells and eggs.
• Manufactured examples are parachutes and igloos.

How to Build an Igloo - a wonderful skill to have!

Famous Structures - famous structures and their forms. Try the Wonders of the World databank if your favourite isn't listed here:

• Mount Everest - solid structure.
• The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza in Egypt - solid structure.
• The Great Wall of China - solid structure.
• Machu Picchu - solid structure.
• Eiffel Tower - frame structure.
• CN Tower in Toronto - frame structure.
• Taj Mahal - frame structure.
• The Pantheon - shell structure.
• The Rogers Centre in Toronto - shell structure.
• US Capitol Building in Washington D.C. - shell structure.

Bricklink Studio - this application allows you to build solid, frame and shell structures with virtual building blocks.

Section 4.1 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Classification of Structures - do you know your structures? Find out by trying this puzzle.

Sport Science - baseball, skateboarding, surfing and cycling are discussed.

Forces in Sports- check out these sports activities

• Baseball Forces - interactive baseball activities for hitting and home runs.
• Skateboard Science - the science behind skateboarding.

Internal Forces - the push and pull from within.

• Forces and Motion: Basics - good for reviewing forces basics.
• How Does a Suspension Bridge Work? - does a great job of explaining how these amazing bridges work.

Section 4.2 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Forces that Can Act on Structures - do you know the forces that can affect structures? Find out by trying this puzzle.

Designing for Safety - designing for safety is important when designing many structures.

• Design Best Practice - a collection of safety measures are shown here, click and follow the links in the list.
• Canada Society of Safety Engineers - this group observes safety of design in Canada.
• National Safety Council - this American group examines safety in all design.
• Secure and Safe - designing buildings to be safe and secure.
• Designing for Safety - engineers and safety inspectors should work together for the best structural designs.

Preventing Failure - safety concerns are often the most important aspect of designing a structures.

• Building Safer Structures - building for earthquakes.
• Structural integrity and failure - excellent general information on structural failure.

Preventing Failure - structural safety starts with safe design.

• Investigations Seek Answers to New Orleans Levee Failures - - the huge disaster of Hurricane Katrina, the flooding of New Orleans, and the structural failure of the levees protecting the city are discussed.
• Model Attempts to Recreate New Orleans Levee Failure - - by using small models of the city, engineers tested the levees that failed in New Orleans.

Smart Sensors - as technology becomes smaller, computers will be found in almost everything - even sensors.

Designing for Safety - do you know what affects the safety of a structure? Find out by trying this puzzle.

Section 4.3 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Confederation Bridge - the official website of this amazing structure.

The Bridges of Portland, Oregon - the beautiful city has examples of many of the bridge styles that are built.

Building Bridges - we are fascinated by bridges, and how they are built.

• Bridges - activities, research and challenges in bridge building.
• Super Bridge - read about the construction of a bridge, and match bridges to where they work best.

Unit Task: Designing to Increase Energy Efficiency - modifying structures is often done to increase their efficiency.

• How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient - a walk-through of the many areas you can focus on for increasing energy efficiency.
• Saving Electricity- discover the amount of energy appliances in your home use.
• Heat & Cool Efficiently - what can you do to make the heating and cooling of your home more efficient?
• Winterize Your Home - great tips to increase efficiency during the coldest months of the year.

Structural Strength: Shapes - structures must be designed using strong, safe shapes.

• Triangles: Designing a Newspaper Chair - using only newspaper and tape, build a chair that will hold up a person! (free PBS registration may be required).
• Triangles: Testing the Strength of a Gumdrop Dome - mmmm... gumdrops... what were we testing again? (free PBS registration may be required).
• Finding the Strongest Shape - this activity, with video and discussion, tests various shapes with loads (free PBS registration may be required).
• How to Build a Geodesic Dome Model - these amazing structures are built of triangles.

Bamboo - a great building material that may help reduce our use of wood.

• Bamboo Inspiration - an amazing collection of information about bamboo.
• An Architect Guide to Building with Bamboo - an architect shares thoughts about building with bamboo.

Structural Demolition - how demolition engineers use their knowledge of structures to make demolition easier.

• Demolition - safety, health and hazards of the demolition industry.
• How Building Implosions Work - a detailed explanation of how building implosions occur.

Structural Failure - weaknesses in the structure or design, or unbalanced forces, can result in stress, fatigue and eventually failure.

• Minnesota I-35W Bridge Collapse - this 2007 disaster scene was caught on a traffic camera moments after it happened.
• Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - in Washington State, design of the new bridge forgot to take into account the strong winds along the river.
• The Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse - the largest tragedy in Kansas City's history, caused by poor engineering choices and a crowded dance floor.

Product Recalls - if flaws are found in smaller structures, they might be recalled.

• Consumer Product Safety - Health Canada keeps track of product recalls along with testing products.
• Recalls and Advisories - alerts Canadians to product recalls and other product safety information.

Stabilizing Structures - do you know what makes a structure stable? Find out by trying this puzzle.

Section 5.1 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Patents - inventors protect their ideas by using patents.

• How Patents Work - protecting the ideas and profits of inventors.
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office - patents, trademarks and intellectual property in Canada.
• The Basics of Patentability in Canada - information on how patenting ideas works in Canada.

Ergonomic Design - designing structures based on the human body:

• ErgoComics 4 Kids - these comics remind us of proper ergonomics.
• Ergonomics for Kids - ergonomic tips from the Canada Safety Council.

Design and Function- these links all involve the design and function of structures.

• Construct an Aqueduct - build a Roman water supply system.
• Scaling the Pyramids - build your own scale model of the Great Pyramid.
• Structures Around the World - build structures from designs of the world.
• Design Squad - join this PBS crew for some fun design activities.
• ZOOMsci - this website has tons of ideas for engineering projects.
• Design Challenge Lessons Online - from the Tech Museum of Innovation.
• Science Snacks - more than 20 activities showing forces, structure and design.

Symmetry - sometimes we like structures to be symmetrical, and sometimes not.

Prototypes - models of the final structure help to improve design and cut costs.

• Prototypes - by building smaller, cheaper versions of a structure, a design can be viewed and tested before spending all the time, effort and money on the final version.
• Prototypes for Inventions - a collection of links about prototypes.

Battle of the X-Planes - as a lesson in designing fighter jets, students must design backpacks.

Building with Newspapers - newspaper is a popular building material, believe it or not.

• The Newspaper House - an entire house built out of newspaper, with BBC News coverage as well.

Elements of Design - do you know your elements of design? Find out by trying this puzzle.

Utensils for Everyone - we often forget that using certain everyday utensils can be very difficult for certain people.

• Disability Related Products/Services - everything from utensils to video game controllers.
• Liftware - clever utensils that allow people with tremors to eat more easily.

Section 5.2 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment and the Green Roof Project - making life safer and healthier for kids.

• Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment (CPCHE) - creating a healthy environment for kids.
• Green Roofs - the CPCHE is one of many organizations promoting green roofs. Includes video of a green roof TV special in Chicago.

Car Research - most people buy cars based on cost, fuel performance and safety ratings.

• SaferCar - use this website to find the safety ratings for most vehicles.
• Vehicle Recalls in Canada - use this website to search for recalls on your vehicle.

Unit Task: Designing to Increase Energy Efficiency - modifying structures is often done to increase their efficiency.

• How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient - a walk-through of the many areas you can focus on for increasing energy efficiency.
• Saving Electricity- discover the amount of energy appliances in your home use.
• Heat & Cool Efficiently - what can you do to make the heating and cooling of your home more efficient?
• Winterize Your Home - great tips to increase efficiency during the coldest months of the year.

The Telephone - every family has at least one telephone, and most families have many.

• Telephone History - the invention of the telephone was actually a race between competing scientists.
• Recycle My Cell - Canada's free recycling program for mobile devices.

Market Research - an explanation of understanding consumer behaviours, and different types of market research.

Advertising - advertising is a very important, and very tricky, part of manufacturing.

• Caught in the Web: Online Advertising Targets Kids - many kids see more ads on the internet now than on TV and magazines.
• Creating a Marketing Frenzy - how advertisers can make everyone feel like they need the latest fad.
• Media Awareness Network - links to stories and activities about students and advertising.

Being a Wise Consumer - making good choices, knowing what you want and need, and standing up for your rights as a consumer.

• Buying and leasing big-ticket items - information for Canadians on making important purchases.
• Better Business Bureau: Ontario - the Better Business Bureau protects consumers from unfair business practices.

Being a Wise Consumer - these activities will help you better understand the complex world of advertising.

• Media Awareness Network Games - choose from several activities that hope to make you a wiser consumer!

Consumer Product Testing - various organizations test product for safety, reliability and performance.

• Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) - consumer information and research, run by the federal government.
• ConsumerSearch - this website collects and reports on other testing group's reports.

Surveys - surveys are a very popular way to gather consumer thoughts and beliefs.

• Designing a Survey - surveys are a popular form of science fair project.
• How Online Surveys Work - explanations and examples of web surveys.

Determining Consumer Need - do you know how to determine consumer need? Find out by trying this puzzle.

Section 6.1 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Planned Obsolescence - products may not last as long as you like based on how they look, their construction, or the materials they use.

Manufacturing - you might be amazed at how some of your favourite things are manufactured.

• How Products Are Made - a huge list of products, their history, and their manufacturing process.
• Inside the Intel Manufacturing Process - the leading maker of microchips shows how the chips are manufactured.

Manufacturing - continue to explore manufacturing through these activity links.

• How Things Are Made - a nice overview of the 6 methods of manufacturing.
• Virtual Reality Tour of Advanced Manufacturing Plant - try viewing this 3D tour with Google Cardboard!

Altering a Product Lifespan - should old buildings be saved, or demolished so new buildings can be made?

• National Trust for Canada - preserving old buildings across Canada.
• Canada's Historic Places - a listing of places, plus great reasons why historic places should be protected.
• Heritage Buildings in Toronto - is your house a heritage home?
• Old School Buildings: Prehistoric or Worth Preserving? - if possible, preserving can have benefits.
• Should Grotesque Buildings Be Demolished? - a discussion in England about preservation vs demolition.
• US Cities Use Demolition as Planning Tool But Results Are Often Problematic - good and bad of both sides.

Lifespans of Common Structures - do you know how to determine the lifespan of structures? Find out by trying this puzzle.

Section 6.2 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Alternative Housing Materials - how would you build a house if you couldn't use wood, brick or concrete?

• Alternative Housing - river wood, straw bales and mud are some of the housing materials found here.
• Green Home Building - this site lists many methods for building green homes, including Natural Building.

How Green Can We Be? - what changes can be made at school to lessen its impact on the environment?

• EcoSchools - how environmentally friendly can your school be?
• Why Green Buildings - all the resources a school needs to become more green.

Re-Structures - science and technology does some amazing things with the materials we recycle.

• Where Do Recycled Items Go? - great information on the destination of recycled materials.
• Where Does My Recycling Go? - simple, but good information.

Section 6.3 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Exploring Greener Options - do you have any ideas about building eco-friendly structures? Try this puzzle.

A Changing Centre of Gravity- moving a centre of gravity can have some amazing consequences, like being able to high jump over your friends.

• High Jump Coaching Video - learn how to high jump properly.
• High Jump and Your Centre of Gravity - find your centre of gravity, and see how the Fosbury Flop uses this in high jumping.

Unit Task: Designing to Increase Energy Efficiency - modifying structures is often done to increase their efficiency.

• How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient - a walk-through of the many areas you can focus on for increasing energy efficiency.
• Saving Electricity- discover the amount of energy appliances in your home use.
• Heat & Cool Efficiently - what can you do to make the heating and cooling of your home more efficient?
• Winterize Your Home - great tips to increase efficiency during the coldest months of the year.