ELA Component: Journal Entries

Journal Entry #1: Thursday, September 22, 2016

1. My physics teacher, Mr. Keles, recently announced the start of our Level II PBL projects, which we will complete over the course of the year. The first step in this process is choosing a project. This is, as Mr. Keles described it, “first come, first served”, as no two groups or individuals can have the same project. Fortunately, I’ve found that I work more efficiently alone, and I had no trouble choosing a relatively simple project. I chose a project titled “Ice Melting Blocks”. From what I understand, the project is an investigation into certain principles of thermodynamics, which I find fascinating. Apparently, the experiment itself deals primarily with transfers of energy.

Journal Entry #2: Friday, September 26, 2016

1. I’ve created my customized PBL email, and have begun to read through the Level II tasks discussed on the PBL website. The format of the website itself seems to have changed. There is now a page entitled “What is STEMSOS?” and the URL of the website now begins with “stemsos2016”. Otherwise, the PBL seems to follow a format similar to that of previous years. I also read the handout for my experiment. The experiment is simple, and less exciting than I would have hoped. However, that only means it will require less effort to complete.

Journal Entry #3: Sunday, October 2, 2016

1. One of the first tasks outlined on the PBL website is to compile background research. The topic of this experiment is transfer of energy. In this case, it is the transfer of thermal energy between ice and an ice melting block. In order to understand this concept, I’ve begun to learn about concepts such as Newton’s Law of Cooling. This law states that “the rate of change of the temperature of an object is proportional to the difference between its own temperature and the ambient temperature (i.e. the temperature of its surroundings).” Basically, because energy cannot be created or destroyed, the thermal energy found in an object does not simply dissipate as the object’s temperature lowers. Rather, the thermal energy is transferred outward, therefore increasing the ambient temperature, if only by a small amount. Newton’s Law of Cooling is represented by this equation: T(t)=Ts+(To-Ts)e-kt.

Journal Entry #4: Tuesday, October 4, 2016

1. I’ve continued my research, and learned much about the concepts and principles behind thermodynamics. According to the NASA website, thermodynamics is”a branch of physics which deals with the energy and work of a system.” This field of study is governed by a set of laws, known as the Laws of Thermodynamics. The first law, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system. The second law states that the entropy of any isolated system always increases. The term “entropy” refers to the quantitative measure of the molecular disorder, or “randomness” of a system. The third and final law states that the entropy of a system approaches a constant value as the temperature approaches absolute zero.

Journal Entry #5: Monday, October 24, 2016

1. I’ve long since completed the 1st Quarter tasks, and moved on to the practical aspect of my PBL. Because of scheduling complications, students are allowed to conduct their experiments in the lab only on Wednesdays and Fridays. I’d hoped to sign up for Friday, November 4th, but it is a student holiday. As such, I’ve been forced to schedule my experiment for the 2nd, my sister’s eighth birthday. In regards to the experiment itself, I’ve only been able to conduct more background research, as many of the 2nd Quarter tasks can only be completed after the experiment has been conducted. I’ve learned about specific terms and units of measurement that are involved in thermodynamics. According to the Hyper Physics website (which belongs to Georgia State University), the term “specific heat” refers to “the amount of heat per unit mass required to raise the temperature by one degree Celsius.”

Journal Entry #6: Wednesday, November 2, 2016

1. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my experiment after school due to unforeseen complications. My physics teacher, Mr. Keles, had previously assured me that the physics lab contained everything I would need to conduct my experiment. However, when I signed in and gathered my materials, I found that he did not have ice. Ice, as one might assume by the title of my PBL, is a central component of the experiment. However, we simply did not have any on hand. I was forced to break into the teacher’s lounge and take a cup full of ice from one of the three refrigerators located there. In the end, I was unable to conduct my experiment, as gathering the ice had taken up more time than expected. I will be returning to complete my PBL next Friday, November 11th.

Journal Entry #7: Friday, November 11, 2016

1. Mercifully, I was able to finish the experiment this time. I have a great number of pictures and videos, all of which will be incorporated into my final presentation. The experiment, which was comprised of observing ice melt on two different ice melting blocks, did not take more than half an hour. As expected, the ice cube located on the wooden block melted much more slowly than the ice cube located atop the metal block. According to Mr. Keles, this occurred because metal has a higher conductive capacity. Thus, energy was transferred more readily, and the ice cube melted more quickly. According to to the Hyper Physics website (which belongs to Georgia State University), the thermal conductivity (in W/m K) of wood is 0.12, whereas the thermal conductivity of metals such as silver and copper rises well above 350.

Journal Entry #8: Thursday, November 17, 2016

1. Regrettably, I’ve realized that I made a mistake during my experiment. While filming certain parts, I held my phone vertically, rather than horizontally. I asked Mr. Keles about this, and he told me that any footage filmed vertically cannot be included in the video. However, I’ve been told that there are apps and websites that can alter the orientation of a video, frame by frame. In other news, now that the practical aspect of my experiment has been finished, I can begin to work on the final presentation of my project---the video. According to the PBL website, the video must discuss the ELA and Social Studies components of my PBL, as well as the physics behind my experiment. I must also create visual representations of my data to incorporate into a brochure. The brochure, which I will create utilizing Canva or Piktochart, will likely discuss the finer points of my experiment. This includes elements such as the driving question, hypothesis, and conclusion.

Journal Entry #9: Monday, November 21, 2016

1. The goal of the Social Studies component of the PBL is to force students to think practically about their experiments. It forces students to see physics as a part of a larger picture, rather than as an isolated field of study. For example, when conducting research for the Social Studies component of my experiment, I must ask a number of questions. How are the concepts of thermodynamics intertwined with economics, sociology, and history? How many of the products and technologies we use today rely on transfers of energy? Is it possible to make a career out of the concepts I learn in this PBL? Should I decide to pursue a career in physics, the answers to these questions will become an integral part of my daily life.

Journal Entry #10: Saturday, November 26, 2016