This project explores how airfoils with varying thickness and camber generate lift and drag. The goal for our experiment was to find the combination of thickness and camber that produces the highest performance, which is measured by the lift coefficient divided by the drag coefficient. We first tested 2 symmetrical prefabricated wings with varying wingspans to understand the correlation between wing area and lift/drag ratio. We then designed and 3D printed 5 different airfoil designs: 1 standard, 2 with varying thickness, and 2 with varying camber, and tested all of the wings using the Edmonds College wind tunnel. While maintaining a dynamic pressure of 200 Pascals, we recorded lift and drag forces, increasing the angle of attack from 0 incrementally by 10 degrees, all the way up to 50. We used the lift and drag equations, plugging in the values recorded by the wind tunnel to solve for the coefficients of lift and drag for the wings at each angle. Analyzing the lift/drag coefficient ratio vs. the angle of attack, we found that the wings generally performed best at 10 degrees, with the medium thickness wing reaching the highest overall ratio of approximately 4.85. Despite each demonstrating a unique advantage at different angles of attack, the best performing combination appeared to be an airfoil with a medium thickness of about 18%, and a low camber of about 2%. 

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the relationship between the efficiency of noise reduction for different materials and the sound intensity level. To determine this relationship, we compared three different types of materials and analyzed each material’s efficiency in reducing noise based on the sound intensity level. Our results show that all the materials reduce sound to some extent, with the Sorbothane sheet being the most efficient material. The results also revealed that at higher dBA readings, we observed higher changes in sound intensity level.

The purpose of this project is to develop a real-time beehive monitoring system for the Edmonds College Beehive. The goal is to track key hive health parameters – temperature, weight, and buzzing frequency –  using a sensor system constructed with an Arduino Nano microcontroller. The system measures internal temperature using DS18B20 digital sensors, hive weight via load cells, and sound frequency through a MAX4466 microphone with Zero-Crossing Detection. 

Pascal’s Law shows us that the deeper you go into a fluid, the pressure produced by the weight of the fluid above it will increase. In this report we verify this relationship between pressure and depth. To do this we recorded barometric pressure and altitude (provided by a GPS reciever) on a telemetry device, as it moved upwards in the air at a constant speed pulled by a drone. Comparing both of these values, we were able to verify the pressure and altitude relationship described in Pascal's formula with reasonable accuracy.

Our Experiment aimed to investigate and apply Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic Induction to design and assemble an alternating current (AC) generator. Faraday’s Law describes how a change in magnetic flux through a closed loop of wire induces an electric current. For our generator, we induce current by rotating wire coils through a constant magnetic field induced by a Halbach Array of neodymium magnets. While the strength of the field remains constant, rotating the coils causes a change in flux because the angle between the field and the coil changes. Since the current depends on the change in flux, the angular frequency should be directly proportional to the voltage, but not the current itself, because that depends on resistance. In testing our generator, we measured the angular frequency of the rotor and the root-mean-square (RMS) voltage of the generator and found a strong linear relationship between the two quantities. Our data. The maximum RMS voltage that we achieved was 45.6V at an angular frequency of 26.3 revolutions per second. Our findings support Faraday’s Law as an emf was induced, and it was directly proportional to the angular frequency of the rotor.

Seismic activity is the physics behind how forces travel through solid objects, especially when referring to earthquakes, volcanic activity, or man-made explosions that create ground velocities through the Earth. Our team wanted to experiment with this phenomenon by creating our own, portable electronic seismometer that can precisely pick up on these ground velocities and record it. Using a geophone to convert seismic activity into a voltage, an AD/DA Precision Board to convert the voltage into tangible data, and a Raspberry Pi (V.3B) to calculate and display it, we created a device that can precisely record anything from light tapping to large shaking, mimicking the existence of seismic activity in the real world. With this data, we can better understand how seismic activity works through solid objects and what occurs to cause it.

In this experiment, we investigate the relationship between the angle of attack and the coefficients of lift (C_L​) and drag (C_D​) for different airfoil models in a controlled wind tunnel environment. Using two sets of wings with varying lengths but identical NACA profiles (same design), we measured lift and drag forces across a range of angles of attack (from -50° to +50° in 5° increments) at a controlled dynamic pressure. The data will be analyzed to determine how C_L ​and C_D vary with angle of attack. Safety measures, like wearing goggles and proper supervision, ensure minimal risk during testing. The results will help give us a better understanding of aerodynamic efficiency in wing design.

Over the course of two academic quarters, we sought to understand the mechanisms and applications of piezoelectric transducers for electrical power generation. Through a variety of experiments, including recording voltage generated by piezoelectric shoes and focused testing on individual piezoelectric transducers, we determined that force applied and the frequency of its application do not appear to be related to the voltage generated by the transducers. However, we did discover a relationship between force applied per unit time and voltage generation, as well as what appears to be a maximum voltage limit for the piezoelectric transducers that we examined. Our results lead us towards further experimentation in an effort to create a theoretical model representing the relationship between force applied, the rate of change of force over time, and the voltage produced by the piezoelectric transducers.

Regenerative cooling has been a method used in liquid rocket engines for – years, utilising many narrow coolant channels to draw heat away from the rocket nozzle. However, as these channels are very small, it is difficult to manufacture single channels for testing. As a result of this, many researchers have looked to CFD simulations to perform their studies. Our experiment aims to fill the gap between simulation and practical testing by creating a model based on the — study done by —(cite study). To do so, we will be recreating the simulation modeled in the study and simulate a scaled model to compare how the scaled model performs in the same environment as the standard and see what external changes need to be made in order for the scaled model to have the same (or similar) results as the standard. This way, when testing our non-simulated model, we are aware of any variables that the size change could have had prior to the testing, thus leaving room for minimal error.

Earthquakes cause vibrational motion in various structures and systems. When the frequency of vibration matches the natural frequency of a building, resonance occurs. The phenomenon magnifies the vibration effect of a structure and can lead to irreversible damage as well as  collapse over time. Our experiment utilizes a custom made 2 Degree of Freedom shake table to compare the Amplitude (m/s^2) vs Frequency (Hz) of a model skyscraper's resonant frequency before and after a tuned mass damper (TMD) is applied to the structure. Amplitude vs Time graphs of our accelerometers were processed through a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), then data was plotted as Amplitude vs Frequency to pinpoint resonant frequencies. Finally, TMD lengths were varied and underwent the same FFT process before being compared to the undamped system. Our experimentation and analysis reveals maximum damping occurs at a pendulum length of 5 cm when the resonant frequency of a 1:5 model skyscraper is 1.856 Hz. Beginning with an amplitude of 9.238 m/s^2, a tuned mass damper of length 5 cm reduces the amplitude to 0.59992 m/s^2, resulting in a 93.50% reduction in amplitude. 

This study aimed to investigate the application of inverse kinematics (IK) and the effect this has on the precision and accuracy of a 3-DoF robotic arm. The End-of-Arm Tooling was commanded to 20 predefined spatial targets using IK-derived joint angles and performed a comprehensive analysis in the x, y, and z axes. Deviations were quantified using Mahalanobis distance, and with a 95% Chi-squared threshold of 7.814728, we are confident that while precision remained high, accuracy errors increased, particularly with vertical displacement in a three-dimensional space.

This project examines the influence of infill density on the rotational inertia and damping of 3D-printed wheels. Rover wheels and materials used in high school and college-level robotics are reliant on their 3D structure and reliability. The purpose of this experiment was to figure out the ideal infill ratio for personal use rover wheels. The experiment tested three different infill percentages; 10, 25, and 50. These findings contribute to understanding surrounding internal 3D structures and their impact on project performance, specifically how much an object resists motion and loses energy based on total mass. The results from this experiment can be used to inform decisions that optimize 3D wheel performance. Energy and acceleration-reliant projects, such as robotics, remote-controlled vehicles, or personal projects, may especially benefit from this learning and put it to use.