Packed for Shipping: Using Linear Regression in Engineering Design
Will the prototype packaging design protect a dropped cell phone?Copyright 2016 Brett Doudican, Universities of Central State, Dayton, and Wright State
Students apply their knowledge of linear regression and design to solve a real-world challenge to create a better packing solution for shipping cell phones. They use different materials, such as cardboard, fabric, plastic, and rubber bands to create new “composite material” packaging containers. Teams each create four prototypes made of the same materials and constructed in the same way, with the only difference being their weights, so each one is fabricated with a different amount of material. They test the three heavier prototype packages by dropping them from different heights to see how well they protect a piece of glass inside (similar in size to iPhone 6). Then students use linear regression to predict from what height they can drop the fourth/final prototype of known mass without the “phone” breaking. Success is not breaking the glass but not underestimating the height by too much either, which means using math to accurately predict the optimum drop height.
Students apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate and refine a device that minimizes the force on an object during a collision. They work through the engineering design process to create new packaging to prevent shipping damage while also considering cost analysis of the design. In materials engineering, researchers figure out which material types are the most suitable—safest, most effective and efficient—for the product they are creating. Students study the provided materials to learn more about their characteristics and then combine them creatively in their designs. Like engineers, students test the quality of their “products,” collect data and then refer to their linear regression graphs to determine with precision (not too high, but not too low) the height at which they can safely drop their final prototype devices.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Follow the steps of the engineering design process to find a composite material solution for creating the most cost-effective and durable packaging for cell phones.
- Describe the positive and negative attributes of using different materials to design protective structures and apply an understanding of the different materials to make choices concerning structure and design.
- Identify and discuss relationships between independent and dependent variables.
- Perform linear regression.
- Use the regression equation to solve problems.