Atomic Structure, State, and Heat
The first thing we did for this project was take notes on atomic structure, state, and heat. We started with basics, like the definitions of protons (positively charged particles), neutrons (neutrally charged particles), and electrons (negatively charged particles), and then moved into more complex notes. We ended by reading an article that got into extremely complex topics. This research will be useful because we need to know about how atoms work to learn about heat transfer and other concepts.
The first thing we did for this project was take notes on atomic structure, state, and heat. We started with basics, like the definitions of protons (positively charged particles), neutrons (neutrally charged particles), and electrons (negatively charged particles), and then moved into more complex notes. We ended by reading an article that got into extremely complex topics. This research will be useful because we need to know about how atoms work to learn about heat transfer and other concepts.
Solar AnglesNext, we learned about solar angles. This will be applied in our site selection and our designing of the outdoor classroom. Since all the sites will be on the San Marin campus, we looked at solar angles for Novato, California. Above is a diagram of those solar angles. The sun is always to the south of us. This will be applied in our placement of the classroom and the trees shading it.
Click here to go to Mr. Williams' solar angles page |
Hot Water HeaterOur first physical experiment was to design a hot water heater. We created a parabolic arc out of cardboard and covered it in reflective Mylar. We then painted a copper pipe black and built a frame to place the pipe in the parabola's focus point. This design relied on the Mylar to reflect the sun's rays into the water inside the copper pipe. We poured 168 mL of water with a starting temperature of 13 decrees Celsius into the pipe. We then waited for 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes, the water had heated up to 31 degrees Celsius, which is an increase of 18 degrees. Our water gained 12,660 joules of heat. Above is a picture of our design. |
Client Needs SurveyNext, the class designed a survey to ask San Marin students and teachers what they wanted in the classroom. We asked questions about location, size, use, name, and how it looked. We got about 120 survey responses. They were mostly from students, but there were a few from teachers. People mostly wanted a shaded, natural feeling area. Group work and lectures were also popular results, so we designed a space that could be used for both. Above is a picture of one of the graphs we made while analyzing our results Click here for the survey results |
Site Selection
We looked around the campus and found three possible sites: The hillock behind the art building, a flat area a little beyond that, and a spot near the soccer field. We took data on the sun, the proximity to other buildings, and several other things. We decided on the hillock behind the art building because it is relatively shaded with just enough sun, it has wi-fi access, it is relatively quiet, and there is enough room to build a classroom. There is more information on the appearance and exact location of the spot on our Google Slides presentation.
Materials Testing
We tested several materials for our classroom. We did a heat test by pouring water on materials, then leaving them under a heat lamp and seeing how quickly they dried off. We tested both building materials (wood, brick, etc.) and ground materials (gravel, tanbark, etc.). We also left some building materials outside for about a week to see how they responded to different weather conditions. We found that materials like wood and brick absorbed water very well, while materials like metal and rubber did not, which left large water puddles on top of them.
Click here for the materials testing spreadsheets
Wind Turbine Lab
We did a lab where we tested several wind turbines to see which works better on low, medium, and high speeds on vertical and horizontal axis wind turbines. We found that a medium-sized metal pinwheel shape works very well for a vertical axis turbine, especially at high speeds. Below is pictures of my lab paper and results.
Heat Transfer/Specific Heat Capacity
Heat is transferred in three ways: Convection, conduction, and radiation. Convection occurs in liquid or gas, and it is heat transfer by the motion of the fluid. Conduction is where heat flows from one material to another due to a temperature difference. Radiation is the transfer of energy by waves. Radiation does not require a medium. The specific heat capacity of an object is the amount of energy needed to raise an object by 1 degree Celsius. Each object has a different specific heat capacity.
Laws of Thermodynamics
0th Law-If two things are each in thermal equilibrium with a third, they are in equilibrium with each other.
1st Law-Energy cannot be created or destroyed
2nd Law-Entropy will always increase
3rd Law-The entropy of something reaches a constant value as it reaches absolute zero
We looked around the campus and found three possible sites: The hillock behind the art building, a flat area a little beyond that, and a spot near the soccer field. We took data on the sun, the proximity to other buildings, and several other things. We decided on the hillock behind the art building because it is relatively shaded with just enough sun, it has wi-fi access, it is relatively quiet, and there is enough room to build a classroom. There is more information on the appearance and exact location of the spot on our Google Slides presentation.
Materials Testing
We tested several materials for our classroom. We did a heat test by pouring water on materials, then leaving them under a heat lamp and seeing how quickly they dried off. We tested both building materials (wood, brick, etc.) and ground materials (gravel, tanbark, etc.). We also left some building materials outside for about a week to see how they responded to different weather conditions. We found that materials like wood and brick absorbed water very well, while materials like metal and rubber did not, which left large water puddles on top of them.
Click here for the materials testing spreadsheets
Wind Turbine Lab
We did a lab where we tested several wind turbines to see which works better on low, medium, and high speeds on vertical and horizontal axis wind turbines. We found that a medium-sized metal pinwheel shape works very well for a vertical axis turbine, especially at high speeds. Below is pictures of my lab paper and results.
Heat Transfer/Specific Heat Capacity
Heat is transferred in three ways: Convection, conduction, and radiation. Convection occurs in liquid or gas, and it is heat transfer by the motion of the fluid. Conduction is where heat flows from one material to another due to a temperature difference. Radiation is the transfer of energy by waves. Radiation does not require a medium. The specific heat capacity of an object is the amount of energy needed to raise an object by 1 degree Celsius. Each object has a different specific heat capacity.
Laws of Thermodynamics
0th Law-If two things are each in thermal equilibrium with a third, they are in equilibrium with each other.
1st Law-Energy cannot be created or destroyed
2nd Law-Entropy will always increase
3rd Law-The entropy of something reaches a constant value as it reaches absolute zero
Reflection
One thing that went well during the project was our time management. We finished the design and presentation very quickly, and we had a week to polish and fine-tune the project while other groups were still building models and designing presentations. I learned that time management can be the difference between a good project and a sloppy one. Another thing that went well was our group chemistry. There were absolutely no fights or arguments, which hardly ever happens in a group of teenagers. However, there were things that didn't go as well. During the beginning of the project, I would sometimes find myself with nothing to do, and I would have to just sit there. I learned that I should work more on finding something to do so I'm not in that situation. There was another thing that went wrong. I was supposed to scan and print out pictures of our blueprints, but I couldn't get the scanner to work. As a result, we had to make the judges pass around the blueprints, which probably made our project much less effective.
One thing that went well during the project was our time management. We finished the design and presentation very quickly, and we had a week to polish and fine-tune the project while other groups were still building models and designing presentations. I learned that time management can be the difference between a good project and a sloppy one. Another thing that went well was our group chemistry. There were absolutely no fights or arguments, which hardly ever happens in a group of teenagers. However, there were things that didn't go as well. During the beginning of the project, I would sometimes find myself with nothing to do, and I would have to just sit there. I learned that I should work more on finding something to do so I'm not in that situation. There was another thing that went wrong. I was supposed to scan and print out pictures of our blueprints, but I couldn't get the scanner to work. As a result, we had to make the judges pass around the blueprints, which probably made our project much less effective.