Let's Find Out! Engineering

Young readers are fascinated by how the things around them are constructed. This volume will answer many of the questions they have, by first addressing the job of civil engineers and then explaining how some of the world's greatest engineering marvels were built. Students will learn how tunnels such as the English Channel Tunnel are built under water; how dams like the Hoover Dam are built and the purpose they serve a community; and why the Panama Canal was an important improvement to world trade. Finally, readers will learn how to build a beam bridge in a step-by-step craft project.

Planes, trains, and automobiles-these are just some of the many achievements of mechanical engineering. This volume will show readers that they do not have to know complex equations to appreciate the impact the field has had on the world. Accessible text introduces young readers to the machines and engines that power the devices, vehicles, and appliances they encounter on a daily basis. Boxes explain important terms and concepts of mechanics and encourage readers to think critically. The book ends with a guided activity that invites readers to don the hat of a mechanical engineer and build their own windmill.

A fantastic introduction to a world many young people-and people in general-seldom consider: how transportation engineers help to ensure people and materials move smoothly throughout our complex world. Readers are introduced to real-world problems and their engineering solutions. Lively, informative, and age-accessible language is augmented with highlighted vocabulary terms, important points to think about, items to compare and contrast, and a final, interactive exercise that brings home important concepts to the reader. This book is great for students with an interest in how trains, bikes, roads, and even natural resource pipelines work.

This book, while satisfying the Common Core Curriculum in Measurement and Data, makes the world of chemical engineering accessible and entertaining. It teaches readers what chemical engineering is and why it's so important in our daily lives, such as enabling solar panels to promote green energy and the creation of consumer products such as Post-It notes. Readers also learn how chemical engineering has helped in medicine, such as by advancing prosthetics. Finally, a chapter dedicated to a hands-on exercise is also included, helping readers to understand how chemical engineering actually works.

In this instructive and accessible volume, readers discern how engineers safeguard the environment with their practices. They learn how green engineers cut down on waste and the use of natural resources by inventing new materials and techniques. This resource covers recycling, reuse, and renewable energy sources and explains global warming and greenhouse gases and their effects on Earth's environment. Readers recognize engineers' solutions to some of today's environmental problems, including air and water pollution, and urban planning challenges. There is also a hands-on "engineering in action" activity for readers to learn how to clean up an oil spill.

The exciting world of aerospace engineering is broken down in this lower-elementary-level title that presents everything aerospace in a well-organized format. The history of aerial navigation is covered, noting key milestones in flight and outer space exploration. Also covered are the crucial technologies humanity has gotten out of aerospace engineering such as weather satellites and GPS navigation. Think About It and Compare and Contrast sidebars invite readers to think critically beyond the text, and a do-it-yourself activity applies the principles explained in the text to the construction of an at-home parachute sure to entertain and educate readers.

Agricultural engineering is more important than ever in a world that is striving to find more efficient ways to produce food and use natural resources. This vibrant book introduces readers to the importance of agricultural engineering. Each new spread clearly explains another way that agricultural engineers are making a difference in the world and emphasizes the variety of work available in this field. Readers will get excited about new and industrious ways engineering can be used to create better seeds and crops, to work with animals, to harness renewable energy, and much more.

Without electrical engineers, the world we live in would look very different. Telephones (both landlines and cell phones), televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, computers, video games, and many other aspects of our modern world were made possible by the advances of electrical engineering. This accessible introduction to the field includes an explanation of electricity and currents, as well as chapters devoted to specific areas. An activity that demonstrates how circuits work helps young readers get a hands-on chance to learn about electrical engineering. A great way to introduce STEM careers to elementary school students.