Journal 1 (1/12/14)
The process of developing the project idea
Originally, I was not going to be doing this project. I was actually not going to do any of the PBL projects at all, as I was participating in Science Olympiad. This became required for my physics class however, so here I am. The person that mainly helped me with developing this idea for my project was my Physics teacher, Mr. Demirturk. I asked him to give me an easy project, so he recommended this one to me. After he explained how it worked, I was eager to begin my project.
Journal 2 (1/19/14)
The process of obtaining background information
The main way I obtained background information was by doing a lot of my own research. While watching other Harmony PBL projects with the Compression Igniter, I learned some of the history of it, finding out it was commonly referred to as a fire pump. I read some articles on the way it works, and also asked my teacher.
Journal 3 (1/26/14)
The experience of seeking assistance from a teacher or another peer
The assistance Mr. Demirturk gave me was really helpful. Without his explanations, I would have had a problem with understanding the project as a whole. Also, I had trouble with hitting the pump hard enough to spark the ignition. You need a lot of strength for it, and I didn't have enough. He helped me by recording himself for the action video.
Journal 4 (2/02/14)
Thoughts on diagrams/visuals
There aren't many visuals for this particular project as far as diagrams. There are more pictures of the ignition, with the scientific information. They are extremely helpful as they help you understand how this project works with the scientific principles explained thoroughly through visual explanations.
Journal 5 (2/09/14)
Plans for project revisions
The possible changes I would make that could benefit this project for future experimentations would be to use broken pieces of match sticks for the ignition. It ignites more easily compared to the cotton ball, which just smokes. The match sticks actually make a spark. Also, I had trouble with pumping the pump, so it would be recommended for someone with a lot of strength to conduct this experiment, or get someone with a lot of strength to do the trials for you.
Journal 6 (2/16/14)
Details and outcomes of each experiment
When I tried to ignite the cotton balls, they just smoked. Match sticks actually lit.
Journal 7 (2/23/14)
Daily successes/frustrations
The daily successes I accomplished dealt with finding out which materials actually ignited. As stated earlier, I had problems with igniting the cotton balls, and just the ignition in general due to my lack of strength. Mr. Demirturk helped me greatly with these complications, as he was the one who suggested trying match sticks for the ignition, which proved to work much better than the cotton balls. He also helped me with pumping the igniter since I could not do it myself.
Journal 8 (3/02/14)
How this project might help with future career goals
This project can be extremely useful for engineers to study. The ignition process is very similar to the way an engine works, so a person interested in engineering would benefit a lot out of studying the out come of this experiment.
Journal 9 (3/09/14)
The youtube video
The filming of the actual video was pretty fun. I messed up during each trial, only to discover I could not pump the compression igniter as I did not have adequate strength for the project. Luckily, I had a friend with enough strength who volunteered to help me, so he showed the demonstration in the video as well as my physics teacher, who did a trial himself. Both were able to ignite it easily, while I had trouble. The editing was a bit tough for me, but in the end it turned out the way I wanted to, and I'm glad my hard work has finally paid off.
Journal 10 (3/16/14)
Plans for future PBL Projects
Admittedly, I procrastinated a lot with this project. When I first started it, it wasn't something I was necessarily interested in. However, as the weeks went by, my project slowly started to interest me. I need to keep this in mind for next time I do a PBL project, and that these are meant to be fun for us. Next time I wont look at this as a boring project, but know it's for my own benefit, that I am learning more about science while having fun.