Engineering Concert

From EngineeringUK, this engaging poster looks at engineering careers involved in the staging of a music concert. Short descriptions are given for the jobs of: sound engineer, structural engineer, lighting technician and electrical engineer.

Four lesson activities accompany the poster:

Hot wires: In this activity, students use steel wool as a model for how an electrical fuse works. They investigate the effects of current and voltage. The investigation is set in the context of an electrical engineer who has been asked to check the equipment of a band coming to use a venue for a music concert. Students need to understand how to control electricity and protect electric circuits.

Light and colour: This activity uses the context of a theatre lighting engineer to investigate the different colours found in white light. Students use a prism to produce the visible spectrum and then also investigate the effects of filters and colour mixing.

Turn it down!: This activity encourages students to investigate sound levels and how these can be monitored. Students look at the volumes at which people listen to music and find out how loud sounds can damage hearing.

Balancing act: This resource shows some simple practical activities that can be used to illustrate the principles of levers, moments, pivots and equilibria. Using the context of a stage lighting stand, students investigate the positioning of masses to give a stable arrangement.

• URL: http://stem.org.uk/rx4ay