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Process
In this project, we kept our groups from the previous design, Fire Away. The first day, we brainstormed ideas of what our vehicle would look like. Our base was popsicle sticks and we planned to have bottle caps as wheels. The next day, we learned how to calculate different things once we finished our car. These included distance, velocity, and acceleration.
Over the next couple of days, my group began to build our vehicle. We finished the original design but realized that the bottle caps were to small to carry two rolls of pennies. Our solution was to use CDs but these were too flimsy and we were unable to keep them sturdy. We then found sturdy wheels that would keep our car together. On the front, we used 5 cm wooden wheels and on the back, we used 7.5 cm tonka wheels. The tonka wheels were attached to a metal bar that spun when the rubber bands around it came undone. This was our energy source and helped our car move 5 m successfully.
The last few days, my group worked on calculations and graphs of our vehicle. We tracked velocity, acceleration, distance, and different types of energy. We acquired this data by taking a video of our car going 5 m and using the different markings to accurately find the physics of our vehicle. We then made a presentation of everything important in this project and included where energy was lost.
Calculations
Spring Potential Energy: 0.95 J (at 0 m)
Gravitational Potential Energy: 0
Kinetic Energy: 0.44 J (at 1 m)
Total Energy: 0.95 J
Thermal Energy: 0.37 J (at 1 m)
Our tonka wheels rotational inertia is normal because the mass of the wheel is evenly spread out.
Reflection:
Over the course of these two projects, I learned a lot about myself. I enhanced my listening skills and learned how to work with different people by using my communication skills. One example of this was when I had to sort things out with my teammate about who was finishing the project and who was gonna start the slideshow. We had to communicate to one another in order to finish the project and slideshow on time. These projects also showed how well my team was collaborating and coming together to generate good ideas and work. For example, when we were making the alternative energy vehicle, everyone put in a different idea of what we could add to the car to make it work properly and consistently. Olivia came up with the base, Akash suggested the energy source, and I recommended using different, more sturdy wheels.
Although I was excelling in some areas, I was struggling in others. For example, I noticed that I was not being very creative during these projects. My groups car used the same energy source as multiple other groups. I could have came up with a more creative or original solution to make the car go 5 m. Also, I need to work on my critical thinking skills. Throughout these projects, we jumped into them right away without thinking them through. Next time, instead of being impulsive, we should think through the projects and avoid big mistakes. Overall, these projects helped me learn a lot about myself and gave me an opportunity to work with some great people.
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