Question Answered
Time Elapsed
Smart Score
People can use the engineering-design process to develop solutions to problems. One step in the process is testing if a potential solution meets the requirements of the design.
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Carl, a materials engineer, was developing a quick-drying fabric for athletic clothing. The fabric needed to absorb one drop of water in less than one second and dry completely in less than five minutes. Carl thought a fabric made from cotton and polyester would both absorb water well and dry quickly. But he needed to decide what percentage of each material to use.
So, he made a sample fabric that was 50% cotton and 50% polyester. Then he put one drop of water on the sample. He timed how long it took the fabric to dry after the water was absorbed.
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Jack and Beth were building a concrete slab to use as a foundation for a shed. They wanted to build the shed in an area with sandy, soft soil. Before constructing the shed, Jack and Beth made sure the soil could support the weight of the shed.
They poured a 1
m
2 slab of concrete on the soil. Then they added weights equal to the weight of 1
m
2 of the shed. One week later, they measured how much the concrete slab had sunk into the soil. They decided that if it sank more than 3 cm, they would find a new spot for the shed.
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Justin had a cookie recipe that made soft, thick cookies. But he preferred crunchy cookies. Justin read that using different types of sugar affects how firm the cookies are. His recipe used both white and brown sugar, so he decided to see if the cookies would be crunchy if he didn't use any brown sugar.
Justin baked a batch of cookies using his recipe, but he left out the brown sugar and doubled the amount of white sugar. He baked the cookies for the same amount of time as in his original recipe. After the cookies finished baking and cooling, he tried one to find out how firm it was.
Which of the following could Justin's test show?
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Edna was designing small aircraft called drones to pick up items from warehouse shelves. She knew that the drones' propeller blades would get damaged if they bumped into anything while flying through the warehouse. So, Edna wanted to add blade guards to protect the propeller blades. The guards had to be sturdy so they would not break in a crash. But she thought that if the guards weighed too much, the drones would not fly well.
So, Edna put guards made of lightweight metal on one drone. Then she observed how well the drone flew with the guards.
Which of the following could Edna's test show?
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Russell was an engineer at a water treatment plant. At the plant, an expensive filter was used to remove disease-causing bacteria from the water. But over time, the filter would become clogged with bacteria. If the filter became clogged, the water would not move through quickly enough. Russell had to decide when the filter was too clogged and needed to be replaced. So, during his inspection, Russell checked the filter by measuring how quickly water moved through it.
Which of the following could Russell's test show?
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Kristen's back porch got too warm in the summer sun. Kristen thought that the porch would stay cooler if it had a roof to provide shade. She wanted the roof to keep the porch from getting above 25°C and to stay up in rainy or windy weather. Before she built her roof, Kristen made a prototype by hanging a tarp over the porch to provide shade. She left the tarp up for two hours on a sunny afternoon. She then measured the temperature of the porch under the tarp.
Which of the following could Cindy's test show?
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Reid was concerned about drivers speeding on his street. He wondered if either a speed bump or a traffic sign would make drivers slow down. Before asking the local government to install a permanent solution, he decided to try a prototype sign. Reid made a sign out of cardboard and marker. Then, he put the sign up for one hour every afternoon for a week. He used a radar gun to measure the speed of passing cars when the sign was up and when it was not up.
Which of the following could Reid's test show?
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
Erik was a landscape architect who was hired to design a new city park. The city council wanted the park to have space for outdoor concerts and to have at least 20% of the park shaded by trees. Erik thought the concert area should be at least 150 meters from the road so traffic noise didn't interrupt the music. He developed three possible designs for the park with the concert area in a different location in each design. Then, he tested each design by measuring the distance between the road and the concert area.
Which of the following could Erik's test show?
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
People with diabetes sometimes take medicine made from insulin. Insulin can be made by a special type of bacteria. Leah was a bioengineer who wanted to increase the amount of insulin that the bacteria produced by 20%. She read that giving the bacteria more nutrients could affect the amount of insulin they produced. So, Leah gave extra nutrients to some of the bacteria. Then, she measured how much insulin those bacteria produced compared to bacteria that did not get extra nutrients.
Which of the following could Leah's test show?
The passage below describes how the engineering-design process was used to test a solution to a problem. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.
The volume of sound that humans can hear is measured in units called decibels. The noise in a library is about 40 decibels, and thunder is about 120 decibels. Lauren wanted to increase the sound on her phone to 80 decibels. She knew that she could place her phone in a bowl to amplify the sound. But she didn't know what type of bowl to use.
She placed her phone in a small ceramic bowl and set the phone to play a continuous tone. Then, she held a decibel meter 5 feet away from the phone. She used the decibel meter to measure the volume of the tone coming from the bowl.
Which of the following could Lauren's test show?