1. The problem identified in the video was that the squirrels kept eating the seeds from the “squirrel-proof” bird feeders from amazon. Mark Rober tried to solve this by making an obstacle course designed to prevent the squirrels from reaching the seeds while being easily accessible for the birds. I think the problem was solved because the squirrels didn’t seem to be able to get the seeds at the top. At the same time, this could’ve been because they were distracted with the walnuts and wanted the reward directly in front of them after completing the obstacle course. From what was shown in the video, the squirrels didn’t eat the bird seeds that were above the end of the obstacle course, so the problem was solved. 

     2. I certainly would have approached this problem differently because this wasn’t an efficient way to keep squirrels away from a bird feeder. The video’s purpose was more for entertainment than solving the problem as efficiently as possible. Designing an entire obstacle course just to keep squirrels away from bird seeds requires a lot of resources and building, even though it was interesting to watch. I’ve never experienced keeping squirrels away from bird seeds, but I think the problem could’ve been quickly solved by using a few of the strategies from the video. For example, keeping the bird feeder away from fences and other tall structures. Additionally, putting it somewhere high up for birds to fly to, while making the pole slippery so the squirrels can’t climb up. 

     3. This video relates to the engineering proposal assignment because it clearly demonstrated a small-scale problem that was solved with an engineering innovation. Even though it was a YouTube video made for entertainment, Mark Rober found a problem and managed to solve it with mechanical engineering. Although, the assignment is more about proposing a solution for a problem instead of physically solving the problem. At the same time, both the video and assignment demonstrated that the solution doesn’t need to be the most perfect method. What mostly matters is that the problem can be solved with the proposed idea.