Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

Learners design and create musical instruments from common objects; their challenge is to create an instrument that can make three different tones.

Learners work in groups to design and build a tower out of balsa wood. As a motivator, they can compete to build a tower with the highest strength-to-weight ratio.

Learners initially test to see how many drops of liquid (water, rubbing alcohol, and vegetable oil) can fit on a penny.

Each learner chews a piece of gum until it loses its flavor, and then leaves the gum to dry for several days.

Learners apply their knowledge of heat transfer to design two cans - one that will retain heat and one that will cool down quickly.

Learners use engineering design principles to construct and test a fully solar-powered car. Solar car kits usually include a photovoltaic cell and motor; some include a chassis as well.

Historically, sea floor mapping (bathymetry) was done by soundings.

Learners use a spring scale to drag an object such as a ceramic coffee cup along a table top or the floor.

Learners design their own experiment to determine conditions that either help or hinder the decomposition of carrots by soil microbes.

Learners determine the surface area and volume of two identical boxes, and then figure out the dimensions of a cubical box with the same volume.