About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 6
- Subjects
- science (technology and innovation), thinking skills (information literacy)
- Provider
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
Legal
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In this Science Update, students explore how studying horses may help engineers improve human flight in air and space. Andrew Rapoff, a mechanical engineer at the University of Florida suggests that a horse’s bones are engineered to withstand the stress of pounded exerted when running. Rapoff is using the structure of horse bones for new design ideas for air and spacecraft parts. Because amount of holes in these structures mimic the design of bones, the researchers believe that by looking at the bones, they can determine the weight-optimized solution, or the minimum-weight solution to these discontinuities. Science NetLinks provides a link to the audio file, a written transcript, and questions to engage students in discussion about the research and how the results of this study can inform the engineering of planes and spaceships. This activity also contains links to an article about the research and NASA’s Virtual Skies site.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 6
- Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
- Objective 1.01: Identify and create questions and hypotheses that can be answered through scientific investigations.
- Objective 1.05: Analyze evidence to:
- Explain observations.
- Make inferences and predictions.
- Develop the relationship between evidence and explanation.
- Objective 1.08: Use oral and written language to:
- Communicate findings.
- Defend conclusions of scientific investigations.
- Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
- Research.
- Gather and analyze data
- Visualize data.
- Disseminate findings to others.
- Objective 1.10: Analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing:
- Scientific text.
- Articles.
- Events in the popular press.
- Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate an understanding of technological design.
- Objective 2.01: Explore evidence that "technology" has many definitions.
- Artifact or hardware.
- Methodology or technique.
- System of production.
- Social-technical system.
- Objective 2.03: Evaluate technological designs for:
- Application of scientific principles.
- Risks and benefits.
- Constraints of design.
- Consistent testing protocols.
- Objective 2.01: Explore evidence that "technology" has many definitions.
