Activity (Hands-On)Grades 6 - 8
Chair Design
Student-designed wire chair prototypes.Copyright 2006 The Tufts Center for Engineering Educational Outreach
Students become familiar with the engineering design process as they design, build, and test chair prototypes. The miniature chairs must be sturdy and functional enough to hold a wooden, hinged artist model or a floppy stuffed animal. They use their prototypes to assess design strengths and weaknesses.
Engineers build prototypes for their creations before starting actual production. Prototypes enable engineers to assess design strengths and weaknesses through testing and so they can redesign to achieve successful end products.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe and follow the steps of the engineering design process.
- Assess prototypes for strengths and weaknesses.