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Science Launch G3 / Week 04 / Monday
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Week 04 · Magnet Inventions

Monday

Define the problem
// Solving problems with magnets
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: Define the Problem

Crash! Rocket knocks a box of paper clips into a deep, narrow jar. His hand will not fit inside.

"Let's build a grabber!" he says, reaching for tape.

Raven stops him gently. "Wait. What do you notice about the jar? What exactly is the problem?"

Nova hovers over the jar. "Engineers say the problem first," she says. "Then they build."

Engineers start with a problem

An engineer is a person who designs solutions to problems.

A problem is something people need or want that is not working yet.

Before building, engineers say the problem clearly.

A good problem says who needs help and what they need.

Problem statementClear?
Rocket needs a way to get paper clips out of a narrow jar.Yes: who and what are clear
Stuff is bad.No: we cannot tell who or what
SPOT THE CLEAR PROBLEM
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which problem statement is clearer?
What do engineers do first?
CAN A MAGNET HELP?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Rocket needs to get steel paper clips out of a narrow jar. Could a magnet help?
Raven wants to pick up scraps of aluminum foil. Could a magnet help?
A person who designs solutions to problems is called an what?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEngineers design solutions to problems, just like this week.

Write a clear problem

A clear problem has two parts: who needs help, and what they need.

Here is a fuzzy one: "Things fall." Who? What things? We cannot tell.

Here is a clear one: "Raven needs a way to hang her keys."

Now an engineer knows exactly what to solve.

CLEAR OR FUZZY?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
"Rocket needs a way to keep his drawings on the wall." Clear or fuzzy?
"Stuff keeps getting lost." Clear or fuzzy?
Which part is missing from "Needs a way to find north"?
StatementTrue or false?
Engineers say the problem before they build.?
A clear problem says who needs help.?
A magnet can pick up aluminum foil.?
A magnet can pick up steel paper clips.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEClear problems name who and what, and magnets attract steel, not aluminum.
A clear problem says ____ needs help.
It also says ____ they need.
Try it
Look around your room for a small problem.
Say it as a clear problem. Who needs help? What do they need?

You think like an engineer already! Tomorrow we learn two big engineering words: criteria and constraints.