1. Select a manufactured item in your home (such as a toy or an appliance) and, under adult supervision and with the approval of your counselor, investigate how and why it works as it does. Find out what sort of engineering activities were needed to create it. Discuss with your counselor what you learned and how you got the information.

Scouts will find preparing for this requirement ahead of time to be beneficial.  Scouts should bring their selected item to the class to share with the counselor and other participants and be prepared to discuss their findings and observations.

2. Select an engineering achievement that has had a major impact on society. Using resources such as the Internet (with your parent's permission), books, and magazines, find out about the engineers who made this engineering feat possible, the special obstacles they had to overcome, and how this achievement has influenced the world today. Tell your counselor what you learned.

Scouts will need to prepare for this requirement prior to the class and bring their work to the class to share withthe counselor and other class participants. Only Scouts who have prepared ahead of time will be guaranteed the opportunity to be considered for sign off on this requirement.

3. Explain the work of six types of engineers. Pick two of the six and explain how their work is related.

Scouts should prepare a list prior to the class and be sure to pick two of their six choices to be prepared for explanation of their findings as related to this requirement.  Scouts may find it beneficial and helpful to make notes of their research for this requirement and ease of sharing and referencing during the class.

4. Visit with an engineer (who may be your counselor or parent) and do the following:

a. Discuss the work this engineer does and the tools the engineer uses.

b. Discuss with the engineer a current project and the engineers particular role in it.

c. Find out how the engineers work is done and how results are achieved.

d. Ask to see the reports that the engineer writes concerning the project.

e. Discuss with your counselor what you learned about engineering from this visit.

Scouts are encouraged to prepare ahead of time if they know someone who is an engineer.  While the merit badge counselor will help facilitate this requirement during the class, it is appreciated when Scouts can bring diversity to the class discussion with personalized research to share during the class discussion on the components of this requirement.  Scouts, at a minimum should review this requirement and have an understanding of each of the aspects of this requirement.  It should not be expected that Scouts who have not reviewed this requirement will be signed off during the class.  There is some level of preparation that can and should be done prior to the class, even if there is not someone that they can interview prior to the class.  Formulating some questions they might want to ask should be the minimum preparation done prior to the class for this requirement.

5. Do ONE of the following:

a. Use the systems engineering approach to make step-by-step plans for your next campout. List alternative ideas for such items as program schedule, campsites, transportation, and costs. Tell why you made the choices you did and what improvements were made.

b. Make an original design for a piece of patrol equipment. Use the systems engineering approach to help you decide how it should work and look. Draw plans for it. Show the plans to your counselor, explain why you designed it the way you did, and explain how you would make it.

Scouts are encouraged to prepare for this requirement ahead of time as best they can.  At a minimum Scouts should come to the class with some conceptualized ideas in relation to the components of this requirement.  The merit badge counselor will help facilitate this requirement completion during the class.  Please note though that positive and active participation during the class is required in order to be considered for sign off on this requirement.

6. Do TWO of the following:

a. TRANSFORMING MOTION Using common material or a construction set, make a simple model that will demonstrate motion. Explain how the model uses basic mechanical elements like levers and inclined planes to demonstrate motion. Describe an example where this mechanism is used in a real product.

b. USING ELECTRICITY Make a list of 10 electrical appliances in your home. Find out approximately how much electricity each uses in one month. Learn how to find out the amount and cost of electricity used in your home during periods of light and heavy use. List five ways to conserve electricity.

c. UNDERSTANDING ELECTRONICS Using an electronic device such as a mobile telephone or portable digital media player, find out how sound travels from one location to another. Explain how the device was designed for ease of use, function, and durability.

d. USING MATERIALS Do experiments to show the differences in strength and heat conductivity in wood, metal, and plastic. Discuss with your counselor what you have learned.

e. CONVERTING ENERGY Do an experiment to show how mechanical, heat, chemical, solar, and/or electrical energy may be converted from one or more types of energy to another. Explain your results. Describe to your counselor what energy is and how energy is converted and used in your surroundings.

f. MOVING PEOPLE Find out the different ways people in your community get to work. Make a study of traffic flow (number of vehicles and relative speed) in both heavy and light traffic periods. Discuss with your counselor what might be improved to make it easier for people in your community to get where they need to go.

g. BUILDING AND ENGINEERING PROJECT Enter a project in a science or engineering fair or similar competition. (This requirement may be met by participation on an engineering competition project team.) Discuss with your counselor what your project demonstrates, the kinds of questions visitors to the fair asked you, and how well were you able to answer their questions.

Scouts should review each of these concepts in the requirement by reviewing the merit badge pamphlet prior to the class.  The counselor will choose two of the components of this requirement to focus on during the class (counselor choice), however Scouts should be prepared by understanding the basic concepts of each of these components by reviewing the merit badge pamphlet.  Scouts attending the class who can not satisfactorily show that they have reviewed for this requirement prior to the class will find it difficult to complete this requirement. The counselor will assist in completing this requirement but only if the Scouts can show they have a core understanding coming into the class.

7. Explain what it means to be a registered Professional Engineer (PE). Name the types of engineering work for which registration is most important?

Scouts will find utilizing the merit badge pamphlet will help them prepare for this requirement completely.  Scouts will NOT be signed off on this requirement if they are unable to show that they have reviewed the merit badge pamphlet to gain understanding in preparing for this discussion item during the class.

8. Study the Engineer's Code of Ethics. Explain how it is like the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

While the merit badge counselor will help educate Scouts further on this requirement, Scouts will need to prepare for this requirement by doing some simple pre-class research.  The merit badge pamphlet is a good starting point however Scouts are encouraged to use other resources in their preparation.  Scouts may want to consider utilizing a merit badge workbook to help organize their notes while preparing for this requirement.  These notes will be helpful to reference during the class discussion.

9. Find out about three career opportunities in engineering. Pick one and research the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

Scouts should review this requirement and its components and be prepared to discuss.  It is strongly recommended that Scouts bring any notes or supporting documentation they may have to help show the counselor that they have prepared for completion of this requirement.