The Assignment This was the first part of our Outdoor Classroom project. In this half, we learned some basic things that were necessary to finish the rest of the project. One of these was learning about atomic structure and heat transfer (heat conductivity lab below). To start off,we learned about, why materials will change their state of matter, the known structure of an atom, and how atoms will combine together. The next part of the project was solar angles. The seasons on Earth are based on the angles of the sun and the tilt of the Earth on its axis. When it is winter for the northern hemisphere, it is summer for the southern hemisphere. We also learned about the four laws of thermodynamics, the 0th, the 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd. All of this information helped us design and model our outdoor classroom The second part of the project was using all of the new information we learned into designing and creating our outdoor classroom. Our first step was we took a survey of the students and teachers (survey below), asking them what they wanted in an outdoor classroom. We then used this information to design our outdoor classroom. In the middle of all this we made a solar water heater we did this using the knowledge we got from the laws of thermodynamics. Here comes the main part of the entire project, we had to start designing and building our classroom first we had to decide on a site then when we decided on our spot we started making designs and constructing a materials list (material list below). Then for the final part of the project we made two physical models and presented our designs . Side project We were told to find the best materials for wind turbines so for the lab we constructed and tested small turbines . Our conclusion was that small metal turbines created the most power by a large margin. The reason we need to use less electricity is shown on the link below
Terms Atom:The basic unit of a chemical element. Proton: The positively charged particle that is in the nucleus of the atom. Neutron: The neutrally charged particle that resides in the nucleus of the atom. Molecule: A group of atoms bonded together. Solar energy:Energy created from energy from the sun. Element: The most basic building block that cannot be broken down anymore. Conduction: The transfer of heat through a fluid (solid or liquid). 1st Law of Thermodynamics: Energy is neither created or destroyed, but is transformed from one form to another. 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: Over time, everything becomes the same temperature. 3rd Law of Thermodynamics: Temperature can never get to absolute zero. Reflection Two things I learned during this project were that managing a budget is much harder than it seems because you don"t get to have everything you want. Another thing i learned was that splitting up the work can make things way way easier. My biggest contribution to the group was my ability to do anything so if my group wanted me to make a model i would do it or if they told me to work on the materials list I would do it. My biggest take away from this project is that taking a plan and putting it into action in real life is a lot harder than just saying it.