People Have Always Tested Ideas!
People love to build things. But how do we know if something works? We test it! That means we try it out and see what happens.
For a long, long time, people have tested their ideas. Let's see how!
So here is our big question: If we have two ideas, how do we find out which one is better?
What Does It Mean to Test a Design?
A design is a plan for how to make something. That means it is your idea for solving a problem.
When we test a design, we try it out. That means we see if our idea really works.
Find a Problem
Think of Two Ideas
Build Both
Test Both
Compare and Pick
Let's Look at Two Designs!
Imagine this: A toy bear needs to get down a ramp. We want to keep the bear from sliding too fast. We try two ideas!
Look at the picture. Design A is smooth. The bear goes fast! Design B has bumps. The bear goes slow. We tested both and now we can compare!
How Do We Test Fairly?
When we test two designs, we need to be fair. That means we keep some things the same.
If we test two ramps, we use the same bear. We drop it from the same spot. We only change one thing — the ramp!
After we test, we observe. That means we watch very carefully. We look with our eyes and listen with our ears.
Then we compare. That means we think about both tests. Which one worked better to solve our problem?
How Do We Compare Our Results?
After testing, we need to compare what happened. We use our eyes and our words!
| What We Noticed | Design A (Smooth) | Design B (Bumpy) |
|---|---|---|
| How fast did the bear go? | Very fast! 🏎️ | Slow! 🐢 |
| Did the bear stay on? | It fell off at the end! | Yes, it stayed on. |
| Did it solve our problem? | No, too fast. | Yes! It slowed the bear down. |
Look at the chart. Design B worked better! The bumps slowed the bear down. That solved our problem.
Let's Walk Through a Test Together!
Here is a new problem. Rain is getting your chalk drawings wet. You want to keep them dry. Let's test two designs!
Why Testing Two Designs Is Great!
Sometimes one design is good at one thing but not another. That is okay! Testing helps us find out.
| Good Things About Testing | Hard Things About Testing |
|---|---|
| We find the best idea! | It takes more time. |
| We learn from what does not work. | We need enough things to build both. |
| We can tell others what we found. | Sometimes both ideas need more work. |
What Comes After Testing?
After you test and pick the best design, you can make it even better! This is what real engineers do.
| What We Do Now | What We Can Do Later |
|---|---|
| Test two designs | Test three or more designs |
| Pick the better one | Make the best one even better |
| Talk about what we saw | Write down and draw what we learned |
When you grow up, you can be an engineer. That means a person who designs and tests things. You are already starting!
Practice Time!
Here is a new problem! A ball keeps rolling off the table. Mia and Leo each build a wall to stop the ball. Let's think about their test.
Let's Remember What We Learned!
When we have a problem, we can think of two designs to solve it. We build both and test them. We make a fair test by keeping everything the same except the one thing we are testing.
Then we observe what happens and compare the two designs. We pick the one that works better. If neither works, we try again with new ideas. You are thinking like an engineer!