Week 16: Posts 1-3

What I have done:

We have finished the advertisement and begun work on the written assignment.

What we have learned: 

We have learned a number of new things from this last week of working on the project. For example, we have polished our photoshop skills from creating the advertisement. We had to learn how to edit out a picture's background, then replace the old background with a new one, then adjust the lighting so that the picture looks natural, and then add text.

How this will help us later on in the unit

This will help us in future projects, which may require us to create advertisements or work with photoshop.

What we plan to do next: 

Weekend: Finish Written assignment and rest of project

Day 1-3: Begin new unit

Week 15: Posts 1-3

What I have done:

We have constructed the entire body and fan of our wind generator.

What I have learned: 
From the work that the group and I have done over the course of the last week, I have learned a number of new things. For example, I learned that the best design for a fan for a wind generator is one, which has alternating blades, that are also slightly concave. We found that having alternating blades allows for the fan to spin better, as well stay stable. Our first fan did not have alternating blades and did not spin very well, nor was it stable. Having concave blades also allows for the fan to capture air better, and therefore spin more easily. Having a fan that spins easily is essential in generating electricity because electricity is generated by the fans movement, and if there is not very much movement, then not very much electricity will be generated.

How this will help me later on in the unit. 

What we have learned will help in completing this assignment, because knowledge of the fan and its aerodynamics will be useful in the advertisement and written assignment sections. The fan's dynamics is something that can be marketed and also something which will need to be explained in latter stages of this project.

What I plan to do next: 

Day 1:  attach fan, magnet and coil    Home: brainstorm for written section

Day 2: ensure the generator is functioning    Home: ensure generator is functioning

Day 3: Begin advertisement  

Week 14: Posts 1-3

What I have done: 

I have finished the reports on the magnetism labs and have begun to work on the wind generator.


What I have learned: 

I have learned a couple of new things from working on our wind generator project. First of all, we learned that in order for our generator to work, we must attach the magnet in a way such that when it moves, it moves electrons with it through a copper wire. Moving electrons through the wire will result in the creation electrical current, which is what we are aiming to produce.

How will this help me later: 

This will help us when we are attaching and magnet and the wire to the fan, and also to the rest of the generator. We will need to place the magnet and wires such that they allow for the movement of electrons through the wire, so that we can produce electrical current. This information may also help on the upcoming tests, if there are any questions regarding the construction of such generators.


Plan for next week:  

Day 1: Build base   Home: Continue on base

Day 2: Begin to build the rest of the structure

Day 3: Build fan     Home: Continue work on fan 

Week 13- Posts 1-3

What I have done: 

I have finished the second lab and have nearly completed the lab report for the experiment.

What I have learned: 

I have learned a number of things by completing this experiment. I have learned that the number of revolutions per minute of the water mill has an effect on the voltage of the overall device. We found that the greater the number of  revolutions, the greater the voltage of the battery. This is because there is a magnet attached to the wheel, which is responsible for powering the lightbulb. The faster the greater the revolutions, the faster the magnet moves; the faster the magnet moves, the faster the electrons within the coil and bulb move; the faster the electrons in the bulb move, the greater the voltage.

How this will help me later in the unit: 

This will help to understand relationships that need to be known to complete the wind generator project. Without knowledge of mill wheels powering and producing energy, I will not be able to build the wind generator the project asks me to build.

What I plan to do next: 

Day 1: Finish report   Home: Finish report

Day 2: Begin work on wind generator. Start by planning and setting internal benchmarks for when work should be completed and discussed.  Home: work on project

Day 3: Begin discussing possible designs + test designs if possible    Home: obtain materials

Week 12- Posts 1-3

What have I done:

 I have completed the first lab and have nearly finished the lab report for it.

What I have learned: 

After testing the effect of voltage on an electro magnet, we learned that if you increase the voltage of an electromagnet, then the magnetic field of the magnetic field will increase. Our data showed us that increasing the voltage will lead to a significant increase in the strength of the magnetic field. We believe that this is because electromagnet relies on voltage from a battery to work. If there is no voltage, there is no magnetic field. Similarly, if there is a high voltage and a large amount of energy flowing into the magnet, then there will be a much stronger magnetic field surrounding the electromagnet, as a result.

Voltage (V)	B	Boc	By	-
1	9.88	-9.83	0.95	-177.77
2	19.76	-19.76	1.84	-176.5
3	29.63	-29.5	2.84	-174.5
4	39.51	-39.33	3.79	-174.5
5	49.39	-49.16	4.74	-174.5
6	59.27	-59	5.68	-174.5
7	69.15	-68.83	6.63	-174.5
8	79.03	-78.66	7.58	-174.5
9	88.9	-88.49	8.53	-174.5
10	98.78	-98.33	9.47	-174.5

How it will help later in the unit: 

This will help us to understand the relationship between a voltage and the strength of the magnetic field of an electromagnet. We will need this later on in the unit while preparing for the test and the Wind Generator Project.

What I plan to do next: 

Day 1: Work on report  Home: finish report
Day 2: Begin on second lab   Home: continue on lab
Day 3: Finish Lab      Home: Work on lab report 

Week 11- Posts 1-3

What have you done?

We have answered all the questions for investigation 7, completed all of the required revisions for our circuits project, and worked on some of the practice problems that I had not yet completed on circuits.

What have you learned?

We spent most of this last week catching up on work, which we had not entirely completed. Most of what we did over the last week was review. I was able to review how to find voltage and current using Ohm's Law (V=IR). I was also able to review how to find the resistance of series and parallel circuits. In series circuits, to find the total resistance, you simply add up all the resistances. In parallel circuits however, you use the formula 1/Rt= 1/R1+1/R2. I was also able to review several other things about circuits. For example, the voltage stays constant in parallel circuits.

How will this help you later on in the unit? 

This will help me because it helps me to prepare for the circuits test, which I hope to take soon. 

This will also allow for me to focus on completing work on the magnetism unit and not worry about older work. 

What I plan to do next: 

Day 1: Begin work on first lab    Home: continue work on lab

Day 2: Finish lab     Home: Create data tables and organize data

Day 3: Work on report    Home: Work on report 

Week 10- Posts 1-3

What have you done?

I have completed magnetism activities 5 and 7 and ensured that all the questions from previous activities have been discussed and answered.

What have you learned? 

We have learned a number of new things this week. First of all, we learned that magnets act in a field of space rather than by direct contact. We know this because when you place a metal object near a magnet, the object is drawn to, and is often pulled toward the magnet. All of this occurs without direct contact. Second of all, we learned what ferrofluid is. It is a mixture made of nano-sized iron oxide particles submersed in oil. It too, can be magnetized, due to iron's ferromagnetic properties. That is why it is called ferrofluid.

How will this help you later on in the unit? 

The information that we have learned will help us to understand what magnetism is and its properties. This information establishes a foundation that will help us to complete the upcoming labs, that go more in-depth and need for a strong basic understanding of magnetism.

What I plan to do next: 

Day 1: Finish answering questions for investigation 7  Home: work on practice problems

Day 2: Meet with group to do revisions on Circuits project  Home: Finish Revisions

Day 3: Hand in revisions and work on practice problems  Home: Practice Problems