C

This week, we started our final project for the semester, the amusement park. We began with a short lesson about the practical aspects of engineering in the real world. For an amusement park in particular, we talked about the target customer for each type of ride, and how a good amusement park needs to appeal to many types of consumers in order to be successful. We also discussed other aspects that ride builders need to consider, such as safety, reliablity, and fun. We split the class into two groups, and then had partners of two each work on a ride for the two amusement parks. After they planned who would build what and drew a sketch of their rides, we passed out the lego kits. This was the first time we have used the kits, so some groups were a bit confused about how to actually build what they had planned. Some groups altered their designs a bit to fit the constraints of the legos, and some groups are using the legos in creative/unusual ways to achieve their original plan. A few groups got very distracted by playing with the motors, so for next time we might delay giving them the motors until they are really needed. All in all, our class made some good progress this week, and we look forward to seeing their completed designs next week.