Engineering and the Periodic Table
Students learn about the periodic table and how pervasive the elements are in our daily lives. After reviewing the table organization and facts about the first 20 elements, they play an element identification game. They also learn that engineers incorporate these elements into the design of new products and processes. Acting as computer and animation engineers, students creatively express their new knowledge by creating a superhero character based on of the elements they now know so well. They will then pair with another superhero and create a dynamic duo out of the two elements, which will represent a molecule.
Figure 1. Example periodic table superhero, based on the element, potassium.
Information in the periodic table of the elements helps engineers in all disciplines, because they use elements in all facets of materials design. Exploiting the characteristics of the various elements helps engineers design stronger bridges, lighter airplanes, non-corrosive buildings, as well as agriculture, food, drinking water and medical products. Since everything known to humans is composed of these elements, everything that engineers create uses this knowledge.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Identify three elements and several of their characteristics.
- Describe how engineers always use their knowledge about element properties when designing and creating virtually everything we see around us.
- Use the superhero analogy to make models of both atoms and molecules.