Week 8- Posts 1-3

What have you done?

We have you completed the circuits project and the first two investigations on magnetism. 

What have you learned?

After completing the first two magnetism activities, we have learned a number of new things. First of all, we learned that not all metals react to magnets. While conducting the investigation, we noticed that the nickel coins did not react to the magnets. Nickel is a metal and there was not magnetic pull or push, therefor we have concluded that not all metals react to magnets. Second of all, we learned that static electricity can work in a similar fashion as magnetism. While working on the second investigation a straw charged with static could attract other objects. We also observed that two objects charged with static could repel each other.

After completing our Circuits Project this week, we learned a number of new things. First of all, we learned how to calculate the killowattage per hour of objects. We learned that the formula used for this is (Wattage x time)/1000. Second of all, we learned that insulating houses and installing energy saving light bulbs could lower the total amount of electricity used. If a home has good insulation then the heating and cooling appliances will not have to run as much and for as long, since either the heat or cold will kept in the home. Also, energy saving bulbs save energy and therefore, save electricity.

How will what you learned help you later on in the unit

All of what I have learned will help me to prepare for the upcoming tests and quizzes, for I will most likely be asked to answer questions on the topics that I have covered.

What you plan to do next:

Study everyday for at least 45 min for the final exam.

Week 7- Posts 1-3

a.    Which labs, activities and/or videos have you completed?  

I have watched the first magnetism video, completed the first magnetism lab activity, and am just about wrapping up my circuits project. 

b.    What did you learn and what questions do you still need to ask? 

       Over the course of the last week, I learned a number of new things related to magnetism. First of all, I learned that magnetism is basically a force of attraction or repulsion by opposite poles. This also means that two negatives will repel just as two positives will. Also, a positive and a negative will attract. Second of all, I learned that magnets react differently to the various metals that they may come into contact with. For example, while working on investigation 1, I found that neither the regular, nor the super magnets were reacted to aluminum and copper. The magnets did, however, have a strong attraction to the steel nails. Last, I learned that the area around a magnet that has a charge is called the magnetic field (school-for-champions.com). 

     c.     How will what you learn help you to complete the projects for this unit?  

      

a     The information I learned over the last week has laid the foundation of my understanding of magnetism. I think that I now have a basic understanding of magnetism and that from now onwards more information relating to magnetism can be taught to me without much confusion. All that I have learned so far will help me to understand the rest of the material in the unit efficiently and without much difficulty.  

     

     d.    What do you plan to do next and when do you think you will complete your next step? 

     

      Day 1: School- complete lab activities 2-3 Home- watch second magnetism video 

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      Day 2: School- complete activity 4 Home- finish circuits project, write down any questions to ask about exam  

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      Day 3: School- Hand in project, ask any questions I have for exam, work on activity 5 Home- review for exam 

Week 6 Post 1-3

a.    Which labs, activities and/or videos have you completed?   

I have completed the floor plan, circuit design, and have begun to work on the written section of the circuits project.

b.    What did you learn and what questions do you still need to ask? 

o    The work that I did over the last week or so has mainly reinforced and reminded me of the information, which I have learned over the last few weeks. For example, creating the circuit on which of my home's lights and appliances are wired reminded me of the properties of circuits and how circuits are constructed. I was reminded that constructing a parallel circuit is the best option if you want a number of plugs and lights to get that same voltage of electricity, since the number of volts running through a parallel circuit is the same throughout, by the requirement on the project handout that asked you to create a circuit that would maximize the use of electricity. I was also reminded that parallel circuits are better than series circuits when there are multiple bulbs and sources of resistance attached because they can have multiple bulbs attached to them without there being a large decrease in the speed and flow of current. The design of parallel circuits makes for this. Unlike series circuits, parallel circuits designed to have multiple rings and loops within the circuit, with multiple paths for the current to flow through. There is not one set, as in the series circuit. This difference can be better explained by the formulas used by each type of circuit to calculate the total resistance. Series circuits use the formula R= R1+R2+R3. the resistances are added. Parallel circuits use the formula R= 1 / R = 1 / R1 + 1 / R2. The resistances are not added in the same manor, which makes for the total resistance of parallel circuits to generally be significantly less than that of series circuits. 

     c.      How will what you learn help you to complete the projects for this unit?  

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      What I have learned over that last week will help me complete this project, as well as help me to complete upcoming tests and quizes, particularly the unit test, as all of this information will be on it. 

     d.     What do you plan to do next and when do you think you will complete your next step?  

     Winter Break:  Finish project before the end of break and complete all the quizes on circuits.

Week 5 Post 1-3

a.     Which labs, activities and/or videos have you completed?   

I have completed the third simulation and have written the report for it. I have also selected a partner for the circuits project. Ray and I will be working together. 

b.     What did you learn and what questions do you still need to ask? 

s     After completing the lab on the relationships between resistance, current, and voltage, I was able to learn a number of new things. First of all, I learned that the resistance of a circuit has no effect on the voltage. However, the resistance does have an effect on the current. The greater the resistance is in a circuit, the lesser the current. Similarly, voltage has no effect on the resistance, however, it does have an effect on the current. The greater the voltage, the greater the current. I also learned that one can manipulate the current by increasing or decreasing the resistance of the circuit, since the resistance does not depend on the current but the current depends on the resistance. Similarly, one can manipulate the current by increasing or decreasing the voltage, since current also depends on the voltage but voltage does not depend on the current. In a circuit, both the voltage and the resistance are the independent variables, while the current in the dependent.  
o    In conclusion, this activity has given me a deeper understanding of what Ohm's law is and how it works.
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     c.     How will what you learn help you to complete the projects for this unit? 

T    This activity on the relationships between resistance, current, and voltage has helped me to better understand what Ohm's Law is and how it works. This new understanding will help me on the upcoming quiz on Ohm's Law, the circuits project, as well as the final assessment on the unit for I now know not only what the formula for the law is, but also the relationships and how it works. Understanding how the components relate to each other and understanding how the law works will be important on answering questions on upcoming assessments that need you to answer questions where you are to find the resistance given only the voltage and current or where anyone those components are missing.

     d.     What do you plan to do next and when do you think you will complete your next step?  

      

      I plan to work on the circuits project next. I am not sure if our will be able to complete it in the next week or so, but we will try our absolute best to do so.

  

      Day 1: School- Complete floor-plan sketch   Home- find out wattages of appliances and lights, buy poster

      Day 2: School- Begin work on circuit sketch, finalize the floor plan diagram Home: work on written requirement 

      Day 3: School-  Finalize circuit sketch, work on written requirement.  Home: Finish project during the break

Week 4 Post 1-3

a.     Which labs, activities and/or videos have you completed? 

    I have completed the second simulation (the one on resistance) and watched the Bozeman science video on current and resistance. 

b.     What did you learn and what questions do you still need to ask?

      After watching the video and completing the simulation, I learned a number of things. First of all, I learned that voltage is potential energy, current is the amount of energy flowing, and resistance is anything that slows down that flow. I also learned the unit of measurement for each of these these terms. For example, voltage is measured in volts, current in amps, and resistance in ohms.  

      

      After that, I learned what ohm's law was and the formula for it. Ohms law is

      the formula thats used to find either the voltage, current, or resistance, when only two out of the three different values are known. It also tells you that there is an inverse relationship between the resistance and current and a direct relationship between the current and voltage. The formula for Ohm's law is V= IR.  

      

      The simulation also helped me understand the relationships between the three factors a bit better. For example, I was able to learn that voltage divided by current gives you the resistance and the voltage divided by resistance gives you the current. Also, resistance multiplied by the current will give you the voltage, like the formula states. 

      

c.     How will what you learn help you to complete the projects for this unit?

      The information that I learned this week will help me on my upcoming projects, for it will help me understand what I will need to do to complete the projects. For example if the project asks for me to find the resistance, I will be able to do so. Similarly, if the upcoming quiz asks me to find the resistance, voltage, or even the current, I will be able to do so. 

d.     What do you plan to do next and when do you think you will complete your next step? 

    

      Schedule for NEXT WEEK:

      Day 1:    Class: Simulation 3        Home: Finish Simulation

      Day 2:    Class: Write Lab report  Home: Finish Lab Report 

      Day 3:    Class: Simulation 4        Home: Finish Simulation 4, Begin lab report, Blog     

Week 3 Post 1-3

a.     Which labs, activities and/or videos have you completed? 

      I have completed the lab report for the first simulation, completed two sets worksheets on circuits, watched the khan academy video on electrostatics, begun to work on the second simulation.

b.     What did you learn and what questions do you still need to ask?

     I was able to learn a number of new things this week. I learned that charge is a property that objects and particles have. I learned that there are also two types of charge. There is positive charge and negative charge. Positives repel other positives and negatives do the same to other negatives. However, positively charged particles and negatively charged particles attract.  
      I learned that charge can in fact, be measured using a unit called a Coulomb. I learned that the formula for finding charge is C= 6.24 x 10^18 e. The e stands for elementary charge, which is basically the charge of the protons or electrons. 
     
      The worksheets also solidified my knowledge of circuits and what we have learned about them. For example the questions on what components are needed to have a flow of electricity in a circuit reminded me that a circuit must always have a source of power and a closed conducting loop to function. The questions on the diagrams relating to this question further solidified my knowledge for it showed pictures and visuals are always important for understanding and applying concepts.
     
      The questions that involved definitions also helped to reinforce prior knowledge attained from watching the Khan Academy videos. They reminded me of important definitions of concepts, as well as what is important to remember for the upcoming assessments and assignments. For example, the question on where current exists reminded me that current exists whenever there is a charge moving through a loop. It also told me that this piece of information may possibly be on one of the upcoming tests or quizes  and that it is important. 

c.     How will what you learn help you to complete the projects for this unit?

      The information that I learned will allow for me to have a strong understanding of the concepts and topics of the next few projects. They will allow for me to understand what I will be asked to investigate and therefore are crucial for completing future assignments and projects. 

d.     What do you plan to do next and when do you think you will complete your next step? 

     

I plan to finish the second simulation by the end of week 4. 

Week 2 Post 2-3

Post 2 and 3

a.     Which labs, activities and/or videos have you completed? 

      I have completed the first PHET simulation on constructing parallel circuits.

b.     What did you learn and what questions do you still need to ask?

      While constructing the parallel and series circuits, I was able to learn a number of things, as well as solidify knowledge attained from the videos.

     

The first piece of information, which I learned, was the importance of resistors. Prior to completing the simulation, I understood what a resistor was, what it was used for, and how it worked. However, I did not know why it was important. I did not know why the electrons passing through the wire needed to be slowed down and what effect not having resistors would have on the overall circuit. I learned that slowing down the electrons passing through the wire is essential because it controls the flow of electrons. If too many electrons are travelling, too fast, then that can have serious negative effects on the battery. For example this overload in electrons can cause for instability and ultimately cause for the battery to explode or catch fire.

     

      Another piece of information that I learned from this simulation was that the electrical flow in parallel and series circuits is a bit different. The current seemed to be flowing a lot faster in the parallel circuit. Also, the voltage was the same on each tier. In addition, the voltage was higher in the parallel circuits and the bulbs were brighter than in the series circuit. This happened despite the fact that both circuits used two batteries with the same 18V combined output.

      I think that this can be explained by the fact that there is more resistance in the series circuit, but I am unsure? 

     

c.     How will what you learn help you to complete the projects for this unit?

This will be very useful further along because it helps us understand relationships between the two types of circuits, as well as their similarities and differences. I think simulations such as this one will lay down a solid foundation for much more complicated and advanced work that we will complete in the following weeks. We are still focusing on basic concepts and relationships. These concepts will help our understanding of the more complicated ones since you need to understand these to move on and have any sense of the more complicated aspects of electrical engineering.

d.     What do you plan to do next and when do you think you will complete your next step? 

     

      I plan to finish the lab report for this and have it done by the end of the week. I also plan to begin work on the next simulation and watch some more videos (if I have the time to do so).

QUETIONS: 
Would a post such as this one be sufficient if I am to do 2 posts a week?