stemNRICH - Technology
Welcome to the Design Technology collection of stemNRICH resources.
In these resources, maths is used as a tool to explore some aspect of design technology. Some might be best used in the maths lesson, with reference made to the science. Others could be taught as cross-curricular topics.
Stage 3 is roughly 11-14 years and Stage 4 roughly 14-16 years. The stars indicate how easily most learners can get into the problem, although most problems contain enough depth to challenge and stimulate all.
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Tom Learns to Cook
If Tom wants to learn to cook his favourite supper, he needs to make a schedule so that everything is ready at the same time.
Troublesome Triangles
Many natural systems appear to be in equilibrium until suddenly a critical point is reached, setting up a mudslide or an avalanche or an earthquake. In this project, students will use a simple simulation game to investigate the properties of such systems.
Make Your Own Robot
A simple robot to make, plus robots in everyday life to investigate.
Flip Your Mat!
What shape and size of drinks mat is best for flipping and catching?
Make Your Own Pencil Case
What shape would fit your pens and pencils best? How can you make it?
Straw Scaffold
Build a scaffold out of drinking-straws to support a cup of water
Tray Bake
My recipe is for 12 cakes - how do I change it if I want to make a different number of cakes?
Chocolate Cake
If I don't have the size of cake tin specified in my recipe, will the size I do have be OK?
Toad in the Hole
Is it cheaper to cook a meal from scratch or to buy a ready meal? What difference does the number of people you're cooking for make?
stemNRICH - Technology
This is the technology section of stemNRICH - Core.
Hmm ... When Should Tom Have Put the Rice on ...
Creating a schedule to cook a meal consisting of two different recipes, plus rice.
Gym Bag
Can Jo make a gym bag for her trainers from the piece of fabric she has?
Witch's Hat
What shapes should Elly cut out to make a witch's hat? How can she make a taller hat?
Cool as Ice
Design and construct a prototype intercooler which will satisfy agreed quality control constraints.
3D Drawing
The design technology curriculum requires students to be able to represent 3-dimensional objects on paper. This article introduces some of the mathematical ideas which underlie such methods.
Flower Power
Create a symmetrical fabric design based on a flower motif - and realise it in Logo.
Designing Table Mats
Formulate and investigate a simple mathematical model for the design of a table mat.
Making Moiré Patterns
Moiré patterns are intriguing interference patterns. Create your own beautiful examples using LOGO!
Track Design
Where should runners start the 200m race so that they have all run the same distance by the finish?
Chopped Dice
Can you make a new type of fair die with 14 faces by shaving the corners off a cube?
Robot Camera
Could nanotechnology be used to see if an artery is blocked? Or is this just science fiction?
Carbon Footprints
Is it really greener to go on the bus, or to buy local?
engNRICH
engNRICH is the area of the stemNRICH Advanced site devoted to the mathematics underlying the study of engineering
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Playground Snapshot
The image in this problem is part of a piece of equipment found in the playground of a school. How would you describe it to someone over the phone?
The Codabar Check
This article explains how credit card numbers are defined and the check digit serves to verify their accuracy.
Air Nets
Can you visualise whether these nets fold up into 3D shapes? Watch the videos each time to see if you were correct.