All the fine details

Introduction:

Your team will design a building with an approximate volume of 4,000 cm3 (w x l x h) with a minimum of one window that has an area of 150 cm2 (l x w). Your building should incorporate fundamental ideas about passive solar heating that can minimize heat loss in the winter AND minimize heat gain in the summer seasons. You will also pick either solar, wind, water or battery to power up either a light or a fan within your building. You can decide where to place the light or motor and what it does (for example a light could be used to simulate fire or it could just be a light; a motor could be used to power an elevator, fan, etc).

You will have a $100 budget for designing your home. You can view prices of items on the supply page and you can see your team balance. To purchase items, you will need to go through our classroom cashier at the front of the room.

As part of your passive solar heating/cooling plan you could use Scratch X to program a sprite to make a noise when the house reaches a certain temperature. You can then program me, a robot, to respond to this noise and close shutters, extend a canopy, close curtains, turn on a switch, etc.

Once your home is completed on day 3 you will run your winter/summer, day/night tests (instructions are below). Your control data has already been created using an empty, plain, taped box. Your data can be located here and it is also displayed below.


Day 1:

  • Decide which type of energy you want to use: water, wind or solar.
  • Research passive solar homes to get ideas for how to design your building.
  • Budget and plan for developing your piece of land.
  • Purchase your piece of land.
  • Create a document that is shared with your team and your teacher. You will add these items over the course of three days.
      • Insert pictures of your project.
      • Insert graphs from graphical analysis and your completed data table.
      • Give details about mistakes/errors you made as you went.
      • Describe what you love about your building/land!
  • Each student will need to embed that document on their ePortfolio. Go to Google Sites, Physics Work page, click the edit pencil, scroll to the bottom of your page, insert a title "Suburbia" and then go to insert, Drive, Document and find the doc. Save your work.
  • Begin construction. Use paper mache TODAY ONLY.



Day 2:

  • Paint house, install windows and put on a roof if you want.
  • Decorate the lot around the building with grass, plants, parking lots, etc.
  • Purchase and install your choice of an energy source. You will use the instructions linked here to learn how to wire things properly using a battery, water mill, wind mill or solar panel. Wire the inside of the house to run a light or fan.


Day 3:

  • Finish all details on your lot!
  • Take your whole piece of land and run your passive solar tests by following the instructions below.
      • Plug in temperature probe and launch graphical analysis. In the bottom left corner click on mode and change the end collection to 600 seconds (10 minutes). Click collect, turn on the light to represent day. At 300 seconds, shut the light off to represent the night. In the top left corner you will have the option to export your graph as an image. You should do that so you can insert it into your document.
  • Place your lot into Suburbia in the appropriate place.

Data and Instructions:

Winter day/night cycle - overall Change of .65 C

summer day/night - overall change of .25 C

Data table - copy the control data and add your own data

Here is a link to a Google drive document that contains the table below.

Energy instructions

Solar:

Purpose: To design a building in Suburbia that incorporates passive solar heating and uses a solar panel to run an LED light.

Materials: Solar panel Motor or light Optional: Extra wires Optional: switch

Procedure:

Attach the solar panel to your motor or light and secure it with electrical tape. Don't overdue it since I will be using these supplies again in the future! If you need extra wire or if you want a switch, just place it between the solar panel wires and the motor or light.

Solar Panel Packages/Items to consider:

Solar Panel, Light, 2 inch electrical tape and lot of land 23 - 32 - $20

Solar Panel, Motor, 2 inch electrical tape and lot of land 23 - 32 - $30

Switch $5

Extra wire $1 per inch

Cardboard building pre-measured to be 4,000 cm3 -$15


Wind

Purpose: To design a building in Suburbia that incorporates passive solar heating and uses a windmill to run a light that is installed on your piece of land.

Materials: Ring stand with clamp 1 Motor 4 dowel rods

LED bulb Black hub Optional: switch

Optional: extra wires

Procedure:

Assemble the windmill apparatus by assembling the ring stand and clamp. Attach the motor using the clamp. Carefully attach the black hub to your motor axle. Use the screw on the front on the black hub to loosen it and attach the four dowel rods into the round notches. Use the screw to tighten them down. Use glue or tape to attach the blades that you build. Attach the motor wires to your light and secure it with electrical tape. Don't overdue it since I will be using these supplies again in the future! If you need extra wire or if you want a switch, just place it between the solar panel wires and the motor or light.

Windmill Packages/Items to consider:

Windmill Kit, LED, 2 inch electrical tape and lot of land on back row 1 - 10 $20

Cardboard pieces - $10 fee for all-inclusive use of basic cardboard

Hot glue - $10 fee for all-inclusive use of hot glue or $5 per use

Switch $5

Extra wire $1 per inch

Cardboard building pre-measured to be 4,000 cm3 -$15


Water Mill

Purpose: To design a building in Suburbia that incorporates passive solar heating and uses a watermill to run a light that is installed on your piece of land.

Materials: Plastic plate Dowel with center drilled 1 Motor and stand

LED bulb 8 spoons or 4 cups Paraffin Tape

Tub with water Optional: switch Optional: extra wires

Procedure:

You will attach the plates to the dowel rod and build the water wheel on that. You will then place the motor on the motor stand, then carefully attach the dowel rod onto the motor axle. Attach the motor wires to your light and secure it with electrical tape. Don't overdue it since I will be using these supplies again in the future! If you need extra wire or if you want a switch, just place it between the solar panel wires and the motor or light. Pour water over the water wheel to see if it powers the LED.


Watermill Packages/Items to consider:

Waterwheel Kit, Motor, 8 spoons or 4 cups, 2 inch electrical tape and lot of land on the side 11, 14, 15 or 22 *The waterwheel will be tested to be sure it functions but does not need to fit or be attached on your piece of land - $25

Plastics - $7 a piece or all inclusive for $15

Tools - $5 fee for all inclusive use of any tools

Hot glue - $10 fee for all-inclusive use of hot glue or $5 per use

Switch $5

Extra wire $1 per inch

Cardboard building pre-measured to be 4,000 cm3 -$15


Battery

Purpose: To design a building in Suburbia that incorporates passive solar heating and uses a rechargeable battery to run a motor that is installed on your piece of land.

Materials: Battery Pack Motor Optional: Extra wires Optional: switch

Procedure:

Place the batteries into the battery holder. Then attach the wires to your motor and secure it with electrical tape. Don't overdue it since I will be using these supplies again in the future! If you need extra wire or if you want a switch, just place it between the battery wires and the motor.

Battery Packages/Items to consider:

Battery pack, Motor, 2 inch electrical tape and lot of land 23 - 32 - $40

Switch $5

Extra wire $1 per inch