1. THE DESIGN PROCESS INFORMED DESIGN

2. SPECIFICATION: PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT THAT THE DESIGN MUST MEET CONSTRAINT: LIMIT IMPOSED ON A DESIGN SOLUTION Finished dragster can’t be longer than 12 inches. It must be made out of the bass wood block. How much finished product can cost What kind of material must be used Time available for production

3. STEP 1: Find out what the specifications and constraints are RESEARCH THE PROBLEM IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM Ask questions

4. STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS STEP 2: SPECIFICATION: CONSTRAINT: PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT THAT THE DESIGN MUST MEET LIMIT IMPOSED ON A DESIGN SOLUTION What are the specifications and constraints? RESEARCH THE PROBLEM

5. STEP 2: RESEARCH THE PROBLEM SALE INTERNET BOOKS/ LIBRARY SURVEY MARKET RESEARCH

6. How does the weight of a dragster affect its speed? What is drag, and how does it affect the speed of the dragster? How could you reduce the amount of drag on your model? How will the force of friction affect your model? WHAT KINDS OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS DID WE ASK FOR OUR DRAGSTER DESIGN PROBLEM?

7. STEP 3: THINK OF ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS

8. STEP 4: CHOOSE and JUSTIFY the BEST DESIGN PICK THE BEST SOLUTION: THE ONE THAT BEST MEETS THE SPECIFICATIONS

9. STEP 5: DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE (OR SCALE MODEL) FULL-SIZE WORKING MODEL OF THE SOLUTION PROTOTYPE: SCALE MODEL: MAY BE SMALLER OR LARGER THAN FINAL PRODUCT

10. STEP 6: TEST and EVALUATE the DESIGN SOLUTION COLLECT PERFORMANCE DATA TO SEE HOW WELL THE DESIGN MEETS THE SPECS

11. Dragster Performance

12. STEP 7: REDESIGN (IF NECESSARY) Back to the drawing board! EXAMINE YOUR DESIGN CRITICALLY LOOK BACK AT THE DESIGN SPECS MAKE MODIFICATIONS