Toying with Electric Currents

We have finally moved on to the topic I was looking most forward too, Electical Engineering. There is a lot of science and math that is involved with the genre of engineering. However, one day we had a substitue who had no lesson plan, so I took the initiative to "toy" with electricity, responsibly, ofcourse.

After some time of brainstorming, building and rebuilding, I came to my completed product: a miniature ferris wheel or fan powered by a 2V motor.

3rd Annual Cardboard Canoe Challenge

I earned 14 Achievements on this challenge.
The 14 Achievements include:
Design Achievements:• Define the Problem and Brainstorm Solutions - State the problem you are designing a solution for. List at least 20 ideas you have regarding your solution.
• Big Brain - The individual student with the most brainstorms listed will earn a bonus achievement.
• Criteria & Constraints - List or reference the specified Criteria and Constraints you're designing for. List at least one implied criteria. List at least three implied contsraints.
• Sketch Ideas - Draw 3 different sketches for possible designs. Label at least 3 key features for each sketch. Describe the feature's functionality so a viewer understands why the called out feature is important.

• Prototype Ideas - Craft physical prototypes (models) of each of your three sketches. Use a notecard or post it note to call out at least one key feature on each model. Post the images to your blog and describe the key feature that you've pointed out on each.
• Select an Approach - Generate feedback (+, change, ?, !) and make a decision matrix regarding your sketches/prototypes. Specify the approach you've chosen and justify your selection.
• Surface area! - Calculate how much surface area you can cover with your given duct tape. How many sf can you cover with one roll? How many can you cover with all your rolls? What % efficiency do you think you can achieve with your overlap?



Build Achievements:
• Build It! - Build your watercraft. Your build must meet the standards of construction (100% covered in Duct Tape). Document it with a presentable photo.



Test Achievements:
• The Longest - Awarded to the team with the watercraft that floats the longest (multiple teams may be awarded this achievement if multiple boats remain afloat at the end of our competition period).
• Balance Master - Awarded if you can have at least one person stand for 5 seconds in the boat (you must conduct this away from the edge of the pool so that non one falls over and hits their head)
• Videographer - Take video of the challenge and post to your blog.
The Cardboard Canoe Challenge is a competition among teams in which each team builds a boat using only cardboard and ductape. The process of building the canoe started with sketching prototypes and designs that could be built within the building time frame as well as keep afloat once it is on the water. Also, the boat was required to have at least one person inside it while the rest of team either recorded the event or pushed the boat inside the water.

Initially, my group (known as Team 6) brainstormed some ideas that could be used for building our boat. These ideas included:
1) V-bottom
2) Triangle front
3) Ductape rope for towing
4) Slim body
5) Higher side walls on the front for breaking through the water
6) Use least amount of cardboard as possible
7) Lond design so the person in the boat can lie down inside it
8) Cardboard sails
9) Ductape sails
10) Cardboard rutter
11) Low side walls for less drag
12) Overall low profile design
13) Re-inforced front for breaking through the water
14) Cardboard paddle
15) Rounded bottom
16) Added weight to center for balance
17) Re-inforced bottom to reduce leakage
18) Heavy duty cardboard for taking damage
19) Design low side walls so passenger could paddle
20) A worthwhile name

When my group created a small-scale model and tested it with marbles, members from other groups said it was very bouyant. It could hold over 50 marbles before collapsing. Therefore we kept the design, without speed in mind.

We then calculated the surface area of the boat before we built the full scale model to calculate how much duct tape and cardboard we would need.

We built the full scale boat and completed it by the deadline. Once the boat was complete, my group decided on naming it after the last NASA space shuttle to venture into the depths of outer space: The Endeavor.

Then name couldn't have fit any better. Our boat might have not been the fastest, but it could definitely stay afloat for however long required and could hold up to three people in it.

Mouse Trap Race Car

In my engineering class, my group (Matt, Brooke, and I) was given a task to build a vehicle that runs solely on the power a mousetrap generates with its spring. My group was named "XC Normandy" because we all took part of cross country and Mass Effect is such a great videogame series, we had to make the reference.

Mr. Olsen, our engineering teacher, gave us the following criteria, contsraints, and challenges:

Criteria:Design, build and compete with a Mousetrap Racecar (A "car" uses at least two axles).
Maintain a clean workspace.

Constraints:
One mousetrap
No more than 12" of masking tape
Fischertechnique robotics parts
No more than 24" of string
All materials used must travel with your vehicle
You must work through the stages of the event (see Achievements below)
Additional materials by Instructor approval



Achievements (by stage):
Post your results for the Simple Machine Challenge pt I to your blog. Tally your total number of Achievements earned and justify each within the post. Your grade is the total number of Achievements you earn curved against the number of Achievements your classmates earn.


Design Stage:
"Brainiac" - Brainstorm solutions for your design. Generate a list of at least 10 ideas/concepts.
"Visualize It!" - Create a sketch of a design and label key features.


Build Stage:
"Build It" - Build your design. Document it with a photo.
"The Price of Glory" - If each part you use costs $1, generate a total cost for your build (This info will be used to generate "cost" data to add a pricing element to the game next year).

Test (Compete) Stage:
Each car will compete in two events. Generate your design accordingly.
1) The Distance Event: Compete for the furthest distance. Teams will race one at a time and have up to 3 attempts to achieve the longest distance. We will race on the tiles of the classroom unless the class decides we need more space. Your best result will be marked with a piece of masking tape. The marked location is where the car comes to rest (cars have been known to roll back at times!).
2) The Acceleration Event: Cars will compete head to head in a competitive bracket. The winner of each duel will move on to the next round. The course is 24" long.
At first, our mouse trap car was designed to be very "cheap" and light so it would accelerate really fast. It consisted of a short wheelbase and two simple wheel and axle systems. However, we thoght have a string for each axle would make the car run faster and with more traction, like a 4-wheel drive car. After construcing the chasis of the vehicle, which included the axles, we realized that the car would not be rigid enough to survive a run through and the axles were too loose. After our first failure (fail early, fail often. Aren't I right?) we came up with some more ideas which we eventually trashed or combined.

(Our ideas seemed pretty creative and ideal, but the reality of the world shot our ideas out of the sky)

After several reconstructions and modifications, we finally arrived to the final product:

The XC NORMANDY achieved the longest distance travelled in our period and was the second fasted accelerator as well. It took a total of fifty pieces and met all the criteria and constraints. It traveled a total of 20.5ft for the distance event. We did not time the acceleration event, so our 2ft time was not recorded.

The following awards that Mr. Olsen created were then applied to our car:

"Competitor" - Compete in the 2nd Annual Mousetrap Racecar Challenge.
"Long Distance Winner!" - Travel the furthest in the distance race.
"Going the Mile!" - Travel the furthest or second furthest in the distance race.
"Heavy Foot" - Be the team to win or finish second in the acceleration bracket.
"Feedback" - Collect feedback (at least one each of +, change, ? and !) from yourself or your classmates.
"Re-work" - Change your build based on your experience with the race/feedback you collected. Document any changes.
After our clean up stage was completed, our working area was free of any engineering tools and trash.
This amounts to a total of 11 achievements for this project in Principles of Engineering.