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Coming Up With Many Ideas Before Picking One · The Design Process · 3-5-ETS1-2 · brainstorming

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Coming Up With Many Ideas Before Picking One

with Atlas

Atlas stands at a large worktable covered with sketches, sticky notes, and colorful drawings of different bridge designs, holding a pencil and grinning as he pins a fifth idea next to four others on the wall.

Explain why engineers generate multiple possible solutions before choosing one.
Identify at least two advantages of having several ideas to compare.
Compare two different solutions to the same problem and describe a strength of each.
Predict what might go wrong if an engineer always picks the very first idea that comes to mind.

Key terms

brainstorm: to think up many ideas fast
solution: an idea that solves the problem
compare: to look at ideas side by side
problem: the thing you want to fix

Many Ideas First

When engineers have a problem, they do not pick the first idea. They brainstorm. That means they think up lots and lots of ideas. For a bridge, they might list a rope bridge, a stone path, a metal beam, or stepping stones. Every idea gets written down, even the silly ones. Silly ideas sometimes turn into the best ideas. The goal is to get a big pile of choices.

Then You Compare

Once you have many ideas, you can put them next to each other and compare. You ask good questions about each one. Which idea is safest? Which one costs the least money? Which is easiest to build? Which one lasts the longest in rain? Comparing helps you spot the strongest idea. You can only do this if you have more than one idea to look at.

Worked examples

Your class needs a way to cross a creek. What do you do first?

Brainstorm many ideas like a rope bridge or stepping stones.
Write down every idea, even silly ones.
Compare the ideas to find the safest one.

Answer: Make many ideas first, then compare to pick the best.

You thought of only one idea. Is that enough?

One idea gives you nothing to compare.
Keep thinking of more ideas.

Answer: No, one idea is not enough. Make more to compare.

Hey there, I'm Atlas! Let me tell you a secret that real engineers use every single day. Imagine your school needs a new bridge over a small creek so students can cross safely. The very first thing engineers do is understand and define the problem — what exactly needs to be solved, and what rules must the solution follow? Only after they know the problem clearly do they move to the next step. After engineers understand the problem they need to solve, they brainstorm — that means coming up with as MANY ideas as possible before deciding on one. You might think of a rope bridge, a stone path, a metal beam bridge, or even stepping stones. Write down or sketch every idea that pops into your head, even ones that sound silly — they all count! When you have many ideas side by side, something amazing happens: you can compare them! You can ask questions like — Which one is safest? Which costs less? Which is easier to build? Which lasts longer in the rain? The first idea is rarely the best one, and that is completely okay. Even the greatest engineers in history filled notebooks with sketches before they found a winner. More ideas = more chances to find a great solution. So always brainstorm before you build!

Activity

Drag each bridge idea into the bin that best describes its biggest strength

Practice

List three different ways to keep books from sliding.

Pick two of your ideas and tell one strength of each.

Common mistakes to avoid

The first idea is bestThe first idea is rarely the best one to build.
Silly ideas are uselessSilly ideas can lead to a great new solution.

Check your understanding

Why do engineers try to come up with many different solutions before choosing just one?

Mia needs to design a holder that keeps an egg safe when dropped. She thinks of a foam cup right away and immediately starts building it without writing down any other ideas. What is the problem with Mia's approach?

During brainstorming, which of the following is the BEST thing to do?

Recap

Engineers brainstorm many ideas before they pick one. Write down every idea, even silly ones. More ideas give you more choices to compare. Comparing helps you find the safest, cheapest, or strongest solution.

Reflect

Which of your ideas surprised you the most and why?