Project Description
For this project, we were assigned to design an outdoor classroom. Before we started working on this, we had to figure out what structure we were going to design, how to keep it insulated, how the sunlight would affect it and solar angles, how to build a solar water heater, how heat affects the state of matter, and finally where to build it. We have a budget of $3000 to $5000.
Our Solar Water Heater
For this project, we were assigned to design an outdoor classroom. Before we started working on this, we had to figure out what structure we were going to design, how to keep it insulated, how the sunlight would affect it and solar angles, how to build a solar water heater, how heat affects the state of matter, and finally where to build it. We have a budget of $3000 to $5000.
Our Solar Water Heater
Our Design:
Before we start our main part of the project, we have to learn the basic needs of an outdoor classroom and we need to learn how the sun's ray's angles affect how productive our classroom is. Our solar water heater basically poured into a can that is insulated and then it travels into a copper tube that goes through the box with reflective material that was designed to reflect light onto the pipe. At the end we circulated the water back to the beginning. |
End Result:
We got the water temperature to rise by 5 degrees Celsius for 100 mL of water. We calculated that this would be an energy gain of 2,093 Joules. Our group's design wasn't the most efficient but it wasn't the least. The most efficient ones were the ones who kept water in their heater the whole time, without the error of leaking and human error. |
Site Selection:
We picked four places on campus and rated them based on the qualities we thought were important. We rated wind, wi-fi, sunlight, shade, accessibility, visibility, ground cover, and view. In the end, we decided that the foundation between the cafeteria and the arts building because we decided it had close proximity to wi-fi, low wind, good sunlight, and it was usable and accessible by the students and staff. This also satisfied our client needs portion.
Materials Testing:
You cannot make a building without the right materials. In this part of the project we tested out materials to use in the building stage. We first designed two separate tests to see which materials we could use. In one of the labs, we tested for water resistance, and in the other lab, we tested for heat and cooling. In this part, we were able to distinguish what types of wood we would use for cabinet and tables in our classroom.
CLICK HERE TO FIND THE LAB DATA!
Survey:
Before we started designing our outdoor classroom, we made a survey to give to San Marin students and teachers. It included questions like which of the following spaces would you use, and what type of seating would you prefer. Most students chose group work and projects for the use of the outdoor classroom. Also, pretty much everyone wanted wi-fi access. Amphitheater seating and group work seating were the most requested also. This helped to shape our outdoor design and make the most convenient outdoor classroom we could for everyone to use. CLICK HERE TO FIND THE SURVEY!
*Our design was based off these results
Presentation:
We picked four places on campus and rated them based on the qualities we thought were important. We rated wind, wi-fi, sunlight, shade, accessibility, visibility, ground cover, and view. In the end, we decided that the foundation between the cafeteria and the arts building because we decided it had close proximity to wi-fi, low wind, good sunlight, and it was usable and accessible by the students and staff. This also satisfied our client needs portion.
Materials Testing:
You cannot make a building without the right materials. In this part of the project we tested out materials to use in the building stage. We first designed two separate tests to see which materials we could use. In one of the labs, we tested for water resistance, and in the other lab, we tested for heat and cooling. In this part, we were able to distinguish what types of wood we would use for cabinet and tables in our classroom.
CLICK HERE TO FIND THE LAB DATA!
Survey:
Before we started designing our outdoor classroom, we made a survey to give to San Marin students and teachers. It included questions like which of the following spaces would you use, and what type of seating would you prefer. Most students chose group work and projects for the use of the outdoor classroom. Also, pretty much everyone wanted wi-fi access. Amphitheater seating and group work seating were the most requested also. This helped to shape our outdoor design and make the most convenient outdoor classroom we could for everyone to use. CLICK HERE TO FIND THE SURVEY!
- Wi-fi(75 ppl)
- Whiteboard(38 ppl)
- Group Work(67 ppl)
- Shaded Area(62 ppl)
*Our design was based off these results
Presentation:
Models and Blueprints:
Wind Turbine Lab:
We did a lab on wind turbines and tested different designs of blades. We built many different types of blades out of different materials. We then measured two types of turbines, VAWT and HAWT. VAWT stands for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine and HAWT stands for Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine. One of the best blade designs was a pinwheel made of an aluminum sheet metal. This allowed enough wind to get trapped in the pockets and rotate it fast enough to get the highest voltage. The metal pinwheel also had to be the right size. The pinwheel that measured to be 3in in diameter gave the highest voltage. In reality, the pinwheels wouldn't be used to generate electricity because the pinwheels would go so fast that it would fly off the ground. The wind turbines used today use friction from the spinning blades to produce the electricity.
Energy Justification:
Concepts
Atomic State- Depends on the energy of the atoms, can be solid, with the least energy, liquid, with enough energy to let the atoms move a bit more freely, and gaseous, which have enough energy to completely break the bonds.
Pressure- The amount of force exerted over a unit of area, calculated by P=Force/Area.
Density- The amount of mass in a certain space, calculated by D=Mass/Volume.
Proton- A subatomic particle composing the nucleus of the atom with the neutron, and it has a positive charge.
Neutron- A subatomic particle composing the nucleus of the atom with the proton, and it has a neutral charge.
Electron- A subatomic particle located outside of the nucleus, and it has a negative charge.
Ion- An atom with an amount of electrons that are not proportional to the amount of protons it contains.
Molecule- Two or more atoms bonded together (usually through shared electrons).
Conduction- Heat transfer through solids, with varying levels of efficiency depending on the material.
Convection- Movement of heat through a fluid, mainly comprising of liquids and gases.
Radiation- Transfer of heat through waves, rays, or particles, and no medium is required to transfer heat in this method.
Calorie- The amount of heat required to raise one gram or milliliter of water by 1 degree Celsius (or about 4.186 Joules)
0th Law of Thermodynamics- If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in equilibrium with each other: if A=B, and C=B, then A=C.
1st Law of Thermodynamics- Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but transferred from one from to another; heat is a form of energy.
2nd Law of Thermodynamics- Entropy always increases; Entropy is a measure of disorder, or for heat, over time, everything becomes the same temperature.
3rd Law of Thermodynamics- Temperature can never reach absolute zero, meaning that heat will ALWAYS exist, and at absolute zero, all molecules and atoms stop vibrating.
Volts- The unit of electric potential, or basically the amount of energy that could be released if the electric current was allowed to flow.
Solar Angles- The Sun's rays fall differently onto the Earth each day because of the rotations and revolutions of the Earth and Sun along with the Earth being tilted at 23.5 degrees.
Reflection
This project was the longest one we have done so far. It had so many parts in it that I was questioning what any of it had to do with building an outdoor class. Obviously, everything ended up connecting at the end like how it matters where you put the classroom so it gets a good amount of sunlight. This is why we made the solar water heater. We had to learn the sun's angles and where the sun was at certain points of the day. The materials testing labs was relevant because it told us what materials were the most effective in an outdoor classroom. During the projects, there were some ups and downs. One up was that I learned how to make detailed blueprints and models.This was probably the hardest thing I have done this entire year. Making the blueprint as detailed as possible was a pain but I was able to make it happen. The model seems easy to make because you know all the measurements but it is not easy at all.Getting all the materials to scale was the hardest part. I was able to find the right size wood, but when I cut it, the pieces wouldn't be the same size. At the end I had to go with what I had and since it was just a model, it was okay for it to be a quarter of an inch off. Another up was that we all were able to focus when it was time to get serious. The last week of working was when all the gears kicked in. We weren't done with our presentation. Actually, we didn't even start it because we were so detailed in what we did, it took a long time to make the models, blueprints, and material lists. Like I said, we pit in everything we had to finish it, and it ended up being great. One down was that some of us had a really hard time focusing because of all the distractions around us. I'll be honest by saying that the first few work days, I barely did anything. But when I realized how much work there was, there wasn't a day after that when I didn't work. I had the responsibility of the tables. One special trait our table had was that the tops were also whiteboards. Another down was that our presentation wasn't the greatest. We weren't as prepared as should have been,but we did pull it off. We started practicing our presentations on the second to last build day, so we started coming in at lunch. This shows that we have to manage our time properly. Since we weren't as prepared, we started talking really fast in the presentation. This was because of all the information we had and we had a lot, according to Mr. Williams. I think I liked this project the most because I worked really hard and the result was pleasing. I hope to keep up my work ethic on future projects.
This project was the longest one we have done so far. It had so many parts in it that I was questioning what any of it had to do with building an outdoor class. Obviously, everything ended up connecting at the end like how it matters where you put the classroom so it gets a good amount of sunlight. This is why we made the solar water heater. We had to learn the sun's angles and where the sun was at certain points of the day. The materials testing labs was relevant because it told us what materials were the most effective in an outdoor classroom. During the projects, there were some ups and downs. One up was that I learned how to make detailed blueprints and models.This was probably the hardest thing I have done this entire year. Making the blueprint as detailed as possible was a pain but I was able to make it happen. The model seems easy to make because you know all the measurements but it is not easy at all.Getting all the materials to scale was the hardest part. I was able to find the right size wood, but when I cut it, the pieces wouldn't be the same size. At the end I had to go with what I had and since it was just a model, it was okay for it to be a quarter of an inch off. Another up was that we all were able to focus when it was time to get serious. The last week of working was when all the gears kicked in. We weren't done with our presentation. Actually, we didn't even start it because we were so detailed in what we did, it took a long time to make the models, blueprints, and material lists. Like I said, we pit in everything we had to finish it, and it ended up being great. One down was that some of us had a really hard time focusing because of all the distractions around us. I'll be honest by saying that the first few work days, I barely did anything. But when I realized how much work there was, there wasn't a day after that when I didn't work. I had the responsibility of the tables. One special trait our table had was that the tops were also whiteboards. Another down was that our presentation wasn't the greatest. We weren't as prepared as should have been,but we did pull it off. We started practicing our presentations on the second to last build day, so we started coming in at lunch. This shows that we have to manage our time properly. Since we weren't as prepared, we started talking really fast in the presentation. This was because of all the information we had and we had a lot, according to Mr. Williams. I think I liked this project the most because I worked really hard and the result was pleasing. I hope to keep up my work ethic on future projects.