This is a book about the invention and testing of ideas. By
describing how to generate engaging problem situations for engineering
students to solve it inspires original currents of thought. Make-and-test
(MaT) is a practical way of testing ideas that challenges the validity
of the ideas themselves and the manufacturing skills of the
participants. Much of the project work described makes use of such
simple materials as balsa wood and candle wax with the occasional
appearance of the more exotic: fibre-glass-epoxy composites, for
example; the properties and uses of these are examined in depth. All of
the inventions described are intended to be well within the range of
ingenuity and skills of first- and second-year engineering
undergraduates. They can also be useful in stimulating the
problem-solving skills of professional engineering and architectural
designers so that everyday design questions and more one-off and
personal undertakings such as the periodic design challenges offered by
professional engineering societies can be interpreted more creatively.
The major part of the book is devoted to case examples based on the
authors twenty-five years of experience in supervising MaT work but
there are many opportunities and exercises throughout the text to
explore new MaT projects.
In essence, Make and Test Projects in Engineering Design
encapsulates the experience of engineering design from the uncertainty
of "Can I tackle this problem?" to the joyous "Aha!" when a solution is
discovered. An invaluable teaching tool and resource for the engineering
educator and all those planning and conducting make and test projects,
this is the first book that formalises an important aspect of early
learning in engineering design.
