About This Lesson
Overview
Imagine a Toyota Camry weighing 3,595 pounds rolling slowly down a driveway towards an unsuspecting beetle that weighs 39,000 times less than the rolling car. This particular beetle, known as a diabolical ironclad beetle, is moving as fast as it can as the car’s tire approaches. Unfortunately, the beetle gets squashed. But, amazingly, the car passes and the beetle picks itself up and continues on its journey.
Essential questions
- How was the diabolical ironclad beetle able to survive such a massive impact?
- How can you use the diabolical ironclad beetle’s characteristics to help you design a new super tough bicycle helmet?
Estimated time
One or two 50-minute class periods (Note: If you have limited time and resources, you can work through the sketch/design phase only).
