Studyfin
✨ Sign up free
Hi there! I am Studyfin, your friendly learning buddy. Today, we will explore how engineers solve big problems using simple, organized steps!
Engineers are real-life problem solvers. When they want to build something new, they do not just guess. They follow a design process: they name the problem, think up ideas, build a model, test it, and then make it better.
First, you must follow instructions in a exact order. This is a sequence. For example, to build a toy bridge, you must: 1. Draw a plan, 2. Gather your sticks, and 3. Glue them together. If you glue first, you will make a big mess!
Engineers also use math to solve multi-step problems. If you need to build 3 bridges, and each bridge needs 5 support sticks and 10 deck sticks, you must multiply and add to find the total number of sticks. We can represent this with a clear math plan.
Let us practice using our thinking skills to follow instructions and solve a multi-step design problem! A class of 4 students wants to build paper towers. The oral instructions say: First, give each student 10 red sheets of paper. Second, give each student 5 blue sheets. Third, take away 2 damaged sheets from the whole group. How many sheets of paper do they have in total?
- First, restate the instructions to make sure we understand the sequence. We must find the papers given to each person, find the group total, and then subtract the bad papers.
- Next, let us represent the first step with math. Each of the 4 students gets 10 red sheets. That is 4 times 10, which equals 40 red sheets.
- Then, do the same for the blue sheets. Each of the 4 students gets 5 blue sheets. That is 4 times 5, which equals 20 blue sheets.
- Now, add the red and blue sheets together to find the starting total. 40 plus 20 equals 60 sheets of paper.
- Finally, follow the last instruction. Subtract the 2 damaged sheets from the total. 60 minus 2 equals 58 sheets. The students have 58 sheets in total!
