Waves: The Three Color Mystery

Students are presented with a challenge question concerning color blindness and asked to use engineering principles to design devices to help people who are color blind. Using the legacy cycle as a model, this unit is comprised of five lessons designed to teach wave properties, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the anatomy of the human eye in an interactive format that introduces engineering applications and real-world references.

Engineers use the properties of waves in the design of everyday tools. Rearview mirrors, x-ray machines, and microwaves are examples of technologies that rely on an understanding of waves. When engineers work with ophthalmologists and optometrists to design eyeglasses, as another example, they apply their knowledge of light waves to the interactions light has with human eyes, so that they can customize solutions for individual deficiencies. Engineers of all disciplines employ the steps of the engineering design process in order to create innovative, effective and efficient solutions to human challenges.