Cutting Through Soil
Figure 1. An old-fashioned plow.Copyright National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/biso/parknews/images/spring-planting-06.jpg
Students pretend they are agricultural engineers during the colonial period and design a miniature plow that cuts through a "field" of soil. They are introduced to the engineering design process and learn of several famous historical figures who contributed to plow design.
Many improvements have been made to the plow during the course of its existence. Modern-day plows incorporate numerous cutting-edge technologies, from GPS-guided tractors that pull them, to finely-tuned hydraulic equipment that raises and lowers their various mechanisms. Agricultural engineers are intimately involved in the process of designing and manufacturing plows and using research to improve their performance, efficiency, durability, and usability.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Label the parts of the wooden plow that was commonly used during the Colonial period for agricultural purposes.
- Describe how a plow works.
- Design, build and test a model plow, and make suggestions for improvements based on observation.