Post 13 - EIT - Summary

Class Summary 

I really enjoyed this class. I liked it's freedom of work and the type of projects we did. I really enjoy the test and retest portion of the Rube Goldberg project, I like tinkering with things to make them work. I liked the fact that we could choose literally anything for an idea for both the Rube Goldberg and also the Genius project. I liked that in the Genius project I could spend my time in class actively researching something that I enjoy outside of school. I have really enjoyed having you as a teacher through the four classes I have taken with you, they were all great and interesting, thank you.

Post 12 - EIT - Genius Project

Genius Project

This project was a solo project. We were challenged to create some sort of presentation on a topic that we are passionate about, which is also related to technology or engineering. There was really no restrictions on the project.

The technological concepts of this project were being able to use the internet to research our topic. We could also use the computers and internet to make a presentation for the class. A video is also another use of the internet which I incorporated into my project.

My learning goals for this project were to be able to research something I am passionate about successfully, create a solid presentation to explain my findings, and to learn more about the aerodynamics of Formula 1.

My project was on the aerodynamics in Formula 1, and how they work. I chose this topic because I'm a life long Formula 1 fan and wanted to learn more about how it works. My presentation was a slide show. I had one slide over-viewing Formula 1, as not too many people are familiar with it, and a slide over-viewing aerodynamics as a whole. I then had another slide linking Formula 1 and aerodynamics and briefly covering the relationship. I then had a short YouTube video explaining further the aerodynamics involved in Formula 1. I then had slides covering the front wing, side vents and air intake, and the rear wing.

I enjoyed this project as a whole. It gave me huge freedom to choose any topic that interested me. I enjoyed it because I learnt more about something I am passionate about and I like knowing how thing work.

If I were to redo this project I would only change one thing. I would try and go more in depth into the actual workings of the aerodynamics and how the physics of it works. I think this would add a little extra to the project and also further my knowledge.

The technological resources of this project were both actual technologies. The first was the internet, this allowed me to find out more about the subject and allow me to create the project. The second was a documentary I watched about the workings of Formula 1 cars, this furthered my understanding.

The biggest challenge I faced in this project was the actual information. It is extremely complex and difficult to understand. This prevented me from going as in depth as I would like because I simply did not understand the ideas and concepts. It was also a little difficult to put the information into the presentation to where it was easily graspable.

I learned a lot about the workings of Formula 1 cars and the aerodynamics of them which makes them so fast. I also learnt a lot about aerodynamics itself. It is a very interesting field which I may research a little later in my life.

Post 11 - EIT - Rube Golberg

Rube Goldberg Machine

This project was a group project, I was in a group of three with Joey and Lance. The goal of this project was simply to pop a balloon. It had to be in the style of a Rube Goldberg machine. This involved at least six steps of energy transfer step, without human assistance, only energy from the last step.

The technological concepts in this projects was the idea of kinetic energy and energy transfer. There was many ways for the kinetic energy to be made and the energy to be transferred between steps. We chose to use falling/rolling balls, a pulley system, and a bouncing ball making a wood piece fall.

My learning goals for this project were to further understand the uses of kinetic energy, potential energy, and energy transfer, as well as learning to adapt to what a first attempt presents me, and how to correct it if needed.

Our project had nine steps in total. Firstly a roll of quarters rolls down a wooden ramp and falls into a cup. The cup is connected to a pulley system which pulled up another cup on the other side. This second cup hit a wooden ramp balanced to where it is hit the marbles roll out. The marbles roll down a track and then onto a piece of wood on a dowel rod, which when hit releases a small wood block holding a bouncy ball on a ramp. The bouncy ball then rolls down onto two pieces of wood shaped like a V, which it bounces down then hits the wooden block with nails on which falls and pops the balloon below.

The feedback for our project was mainly all good. When tested the project worked fully at around 65% when finally finished. We were very happy with how the final project came out and how well it worked.

If we were to redesign the project then I would try and add a couple more complex steps, as ours were relatively simple. I would also add a proper theme so that it looks nicer and has a theme.

There were a lot of technological resources in this project. We could use pretty much for the project. We stuck to a pretty basic resource pool. We used wood, cups, balls, marbles, and string. The wood was used for building basically every part of the project. The cups, balls, marbles, and string were all used as or in the steps.

Our biggest challenge was getting the wooden block to fall and pop the balloon. The other steps were relatively easy to get to work almost every time. The wooden block, however, was a lot more difficult. We had to play with the overall weight of the wood, the angle, distance of fall, and length of nails. This alone took us over a week to perfect.

I learned two things from this project. I learnt both how to utilize potential energy and energy transfer, and how to really solve a problem through using different methods and techniques.

Post 9 - PIT - Class Summary

Class Summary

I really enjoyed this class. I especially liked the freedom of the projects and the test and re test aspect of them. The thing I liked most about the class was seeing the results of when your project goes well and works. There was nothing I disliked about the class. My favorite project was the co2 car. This is because I like cars and enjoyed learning about the aerodynamics. I also liked winning the race at the end of the project. The under siege project was good fun too, it was interesting tweaking the loft and firing arm length.

If I had to change something about this class it would be to make the packets with the projects smaller so we had more time to work.

I really enjoyed this class and have recommended it to a few friends. 

Post 8 - PIT - Under Siege

Under Siege 

The project was a partner project. In this project we had a choice of builds. We had to choose between three options, a catapult, a trebuchet, or a ballista. We chose to build a catapult. There was no limit to the size. We couldn't use any motor to power the catapult. The goal of the project was to fire a marshmallow as far and as accurately as possible.

The technological concepts in this project were different lofts, rubber band amounts, and catapult arm length. The different lofts were created by angling the whole catapult to create different flight paths for the marshmallow.  We changed the amount of rubber bands to change how far the marshmallow would go. The last concept was the arm length. We made this longer and longer until we found the right length for the best distance.

My learning goals for this project were to learn how to find the best loft and arm length for optimal accuracy and distance, and to be able to make a catapult that had the ability to re fire.

This is our finished project. It was made mainly of wood. We made the base and the supporting arms first, then added the firing arm. After some experimentation we added the base to add height and loft, to increase distance. We added the bottle cap on the firing arm to hold the marshmallow before firing. The rubber bands were stretched over a  dowel rod to create elastic potential energy.

The feedback for our catapult was mainly good. It shot a maximum 26 feet, and on the accuracy test we made it in first try. We were very happy with the catapult's performance and the build quality.

If I were to redesign the project there are a couple of things I would change. I would increase the height of the supporting arms to allow a better range of firing arm motion. I would also enclose the sides of the base for a  more appealing overall look.

The main technological resources of the project were the rubber bands, firing arm, and dowel rod.
The rubber bands provided the power to move the firing arm and to launch the marshmallow. The firing arm was how the marshmallow was launched, it moved upwards and hit the dowel rod which flung the marshmallow.

The biggest problem of the project was the rubber bands. If stretched too much they snapped, which was extremely frustrating towards the start of the project. Also, after a few launches the rubber bands became stretched out and lost their power.

We over came this problem with two solutions. Firstly we made the top dowel rod thinner to reduce the total are of rubber band stretching on the wood. Secondly we changed where the nail on the firing arm was to remove unnecessary stretching,

Post 7 - PIT - CO2 Car

CO2 Car

This was my first project in the second technology class, Problems in Technology.

This project was a partner project. We had to design and build a car powered by a co2 cartridge. We could any materials we wanted except another power source. The car had to be at least 5 ounces to qualify. We couldn't modify the co2 cartridge whatsoever.

The technological concepts of this project were aerodynamics and down force. These will effect how fast the car will go. We needed the car to be as aerodynamic as possible. This made it have less resistance against the air and therefore made the car faster. Down force is how much the air traveling the car is pushing it into the ground. Too little and the car wont get the best traction, too much and it'll slow down the car.

My learning goals of this project were to be able to test and retest over and over to find the best aerodynamics for our car, learn how to keep the car light yet durable, and how to get the wheels in the best spot.

 The car is made from one piece of wood. We cut the general shape out then proceeded to sand down the edges and body to further reduce air resistance. The wheels were put on a metal axle through a hole drilled at the front and back end. we cut the axles to the perfect length to get the wheels at the right spot on the car. We then drilled a hole in the back for the co2 cartridge to fit.

All the feedback about the car was great. It won the racing bracket by a long shot. It's best time was 2.11 seconds. It was designed very well, it had little air resistance due to the extensive aerodynamic changes.

If I were to redesign the car there isn't much I would change. I would try and keep the top surface completely flat because it had gotten a little uneven due to the large amount of sanding. Other than that I don't feel there is anything I could improve.

The main technological resources of this project were the axles, wheels, and co2 cartridge. The wheels and axles allowed the car to move freely. The co2 cartridge was the propulsion for the car. Without it the car wouldn't be able to move on it's own.

The biggest problem in this project was sturdiness. Our goal was to create a lightweight yet strong car. Our first car broke as we had the front end too thin.

We overcame this problem by making the front end thicker. This added weight which we didn't want but we made the middle to back end thinner to reduce the extra added weight. This kept the car light and fast, yet durable. The car no longer broke when hitting something head on.

Post 6 - ITT - Class Summary

In this post, I will be talking about my experience and my overall feeling about this class.

I really liked this class. I liked the freedom that came with the projects, but most of all, I love making things and seeing the results. There wasn't much I didn't enjoy in this class. My favorite project was the last one we did. This is because I liked the choice we had of what project we could do, and the longer time helped me make sure we did everything properly. I've learnt a lot of skills that will be very useful in coming years.

If i had to improve this class, I would add another project. Maybe something like a catapult arm would be a good idea in my opinion.

In general, i thought the class was great, and I don't think you should change it at all.