You Have The Power Energy Project

As apart of our final project, we were told to make an energy device that clearly shows energy transfer. We took that and created a turbine with a gearbox, that powered an LED. We had to write up a proof of efficacy as part of our project.

I created a wind turbine that powered an LED. We presented our project through the proof of efficacy. It was hard to present because of the pandemic. The main feature of the wind turbine that I'm most proud of is the gears. I spent a long time figuring how to get it to work and gain mechanical advantage.

Mechanical Advantage : the ratio of the force produced by a machine to the force applied to it, used in assessing the performance of a machine. This is shown in the gears of my wind turbine.

Chemical Energy : Energy stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules. Biomass petroleum, natural gas, propane, and coal are examples of stored chemical energy. This is a type of potential energy.

Radiant Energy : Electromagnetic energy that travels in transverse waves. Radiant energy includes visible light, x-rays, gamma rays, and radio waves. Solar energy is also a form of kinetic radiant energy.

Kinetic Energy : The motion of waves, electrons, atoms, molecules, and substances. This is one of the two categories of energies.

Thermal Energy : The internal energy(heat) in substances. The vibration and movement of atoms and molecules within substances. Geothermal energy is an example and this type of energy is kinetic. Some thermal energy is released in my energy device caused by friction of the rubber pulley and the light.

Motion Energy : The motion of objects or substances from one place to another, wind and hydropower are examples. This energy falls under kinetic.

Sound Energy : The movement of energy through substances in longitudinal waves.

Electrical Energy : The movement of electrons, shown in lightning and electricity. This is shown in my device within the DC motor.

Potential Energy : Stored energy the energy of position. The second category of energy types.

Nuclear Energy : Energy stored in the nucleus of an atom, holding the nucleus together.

Stored Mechanical Energy : Energy stored in objects by the application of force. Compressed springs and stretched rubber bands are examples. Mechanical energy is shown in my device through the wind and rotational energy of the fan.

Gravitational Energy : Energy of place or position. For example, water in a reservoir behind a hydro-power dam.

Bond Energy : The amount of energy required to break a bond.

One thing I felt I improved on is productivity. This may be because you get that extra bit of motivation because it is the end of the semester, but I felt very focused. A specific example is when I took initiative to start working on the project with my partner. Once we started, it was hard to stop. I feel this is a change in my character and being a conscientious learner. I am typically a procrastinated student. Another thing I did well on was critical thinking. Adding those gears for mechanical advantage and how I arranged them involved a lot of critical thinking. I am proud of that.

One thing I still need to improve upon collaboration. I like taking charge in the group and I maybe didn't let my partner give all the input he wanted to. Some changes I can make are to be more patient and open to other's perspectives. Another thing I struggled with was communication. It was difficult to communicate with the current situation of our world. However I overcame this by working on our project in person. I just couldn't do this over Zoom. It wasn't going to work for me.