Our most recent Scimatics project was called The Ultimate Design Challenge. The driving question was a little bit of a fill in the blanks question. It was “How can I design a _______ with maximum (surface area/volume)?” In this project we would design a 3D model with either maximum surface area or volume. We would then create a Keynote presentation to show off our model. I chose to design a container truck with maximum volume.

When we first started the project we did lots of workbook pages on how to calculate surface area and volume of certain 3D shapes. We also chose our object at this phase. After even more workbook pages, we created our model. Here are some photos of my final model:

After our final model was created, we made a spreadsheet and calculated the surface area and volume of each of the shapes in our model. Finally, we presented our models and measurements in a keynote presentation. Here is a video of my keynote (no audio):

Here is my reflection on the curricular competencies involved in this project:

This project was fun and it taught me all about 3D modelling and measuring 3D models. To answer the driving question, you can design any shape using different 3D modelling software. You can maximize volume by using lots of thick shapes. You can maximize surface area by making thin but large shapes with many holes.