Task

Driving Question: How can we convert chemical energy into another form of useful energy and how can we measure the amount of energy transferred between their systems?

For this final project, we were assigned to design, build, and refine a device that is able to convert one form of energy into another form of energy. For our project, we decided to power something simple from a different source of energy: energy drinks.

Important Concepts

• energy transfer: process by which energy is relocated from one system to another

• conductor: a material that allows electricity to flow through it easily

• insulator: a material that does not allow electricity to flow through it easily

• electricity: phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge; includes: lightning, static electricity, electromagnetic field, and electromagnetic induction

• electron: subatomic particle possessing a negative (-) electric charge

• battery: a device that converts stored chemical energy into electrical energy

• electrolyte: substance that can carry electrical current when dissolved in water

• kinetic energy: motion-the motion of waves, electrons, atoms, molecules and substances

  • electromagnetic energy: energy that is reflected or emitted from objects in the form of electrical and magnetic waves that can travel through space

  • thermal energy: internal energy in a system in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium by virtue of its temperature

  • mechanical energy: power that objects get from its position and motion

  • sound energy: small amount of vibrations collected by outer ear which lets a person hear

  • electrical energy: power of atom’s charged particles have to cause an action or move an object; stored in charged particle within electrical field

• potential energy: stored energy and the energy of position

  • chemical energy: energy of chemical substances that is released when they undergo a chemical reaction and transform into other substances

  • nuclear energy: energy released during nuclear fission or fusion; used to generate electricity

  • elastic energy: energy stored in object when there is a temporary strain

  • gravitational energy: potential energy held by an object because of its high position compared to a lower position

• Law of Conservation of Energy: energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but can change from one form to another; total energy of system remains constant

• thermochemistry: the study of energy transfer as heat that goes along with a chemical reaction and physical changes

• specific heat capacity: amount of heat energy necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree

• enthalpy reaction: quantity of energy transferred as heat during a chemical reaction

• enthalpy change: amount of energy absorbed by a system as heat during a process at constant pressure

• endothermic reaction: process in which the enthalpy H increases within a system; absorb thermal energy

• exothermic reaction: process by which the enthalpy H decreases within a system; releases thermal energy

• Q = M•C•∆T: equation for...

  • Q - heat capacity (in joules)

  • M - mass of substance (in grams)

  • C - specific heat

  • ∆T - change in temperature (in Celsius or Kelvin); exothermic or endothermic reaction (loss or gain heat)

• calorimeter: a machine that measures the energy change as heat in a chemical or physical change

• temperature: the measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter

• thermochemical equation: equation that includes the quantity of energy released / absorbed as heat during the reaction

• Kinetic Molecular Theory: the idea that states particles of matter are always in motion

  • particle arrangement

  • particle motion

  • attractive forces

Reflection:

Throughout this whole unit, I feel that I've shown improvement in my work ethic and efficiency. I was able to reflect productivity while working with myself along with others.

An area where I showed strength was my problem solving skills as a conscientious learner. When testing out our energy device, there were many modifications that had to be made. It was difficult to figure our what went wrong with the device in order to take the next step in our trials, but after much critical thinking and questioning of analysis, I was finally able to solve any problems with some help from my group members. This leads me to say that I also excelled in my leadership skills. Throughout the trials and modifications made for our project, I felt that I was able to take initiative when things needed to be done efficiently and effectively. I reflected a strong leadership role, which contributed to my work ethic as a conscientious learner as well. When the due date of our project was nearing, there were many things that were still on the agenda and needed to be done. In turn, I took it upon myself to complete such tasks in order to improve our device in an organized fashion. Another attribute that I noticed in myself while working on this project was my communication skills. While taking initiative, I communicated with my group of what was incomplete to grasp an idea how we can be productive during class. This contributed to the efficiency of our work as a whole, allowing us to work to the best of our abilities. In addition, I communicated with my teacher when I was stumped on a question. This improved the overall project by helping me gain a better understanding of the content and material.

Although there were many areas of strength in my work ethic, there were also some areas that I could improve on in the future. I noticed in myself that I had trouble with my character. My sense of empathy was not one of my strong suits during this project. I believe that this is partly because I am friends with my group members and I know them so well that I forget to show them equal respect, but this is not an excuse. I feel that although I was able to take initiative, there were some moments when I was being too bossy. I should have let my group members work their way and not strictly my way. In the future, I could also work on my time management. It happens too often than not that I find myself working in the last minute. There were times when my group and I did not use class time productively until we absolutely had to. This jeopardized the quality of our project because we had to pull our device together last minute. In the future, I want to use class time to my advantage. To prevent wasting time, I could organize a checklist of things that need to be done. This would be helpful when I find myself off track or procrastinating and prevent this by figuring out my next steps in a project.

Overall, I think my work ethic was very strong throughout this project. I hope to carry on these areas of strength while also trying to improve on my goals for future projects.