Month: March 2022

Pictures and video of the final product (2nd prototype):

IMG_3097 (Link to a video showing me manually spinning the axle to demonstrate the functionality of the rubber band winding on the 2nd prototype)

(1st prototype:)

IMG_3062 (Link to a video showing the winding and releasing of the 1st prototype)

I intended on my product to rely on elastic energy to propel the car forwards, thereby resulting in kinetic energy. When the vehicle is pulled backward, the spinning of the back axle results in the winding of the rubber band around the back axle, which results in tension applied on the rubber band and the rubber band extending longer, which prepares and expands the elastic potential energy stored in the rubber band. When the car is released, the tension from the rubber band is released and the rubber band contracts, where the back axle spins with assistance and as a result of the contracting action of the back axle. The back axle is connected to wheels which, when turned, will result in the car being propelled forwards (kinetic energy). Although some energy is lost in the form of thermal energy (due to friction) and sound energy (from the “snapping” of the contracting rubber band, the intended output (kinetic energy) is achieved before the car slows down due to friction. Thus, the toy begins with elastic (potential) energy, then leads to mechanical energy (spinning of the axle), and consequently ends with kinetic energy (movement of the car).

It is of my opinion that I was largely successful in producing a functional test prototype that primarily works as intended, allowing me to test the product and analyze improvements that I can make. I was also quite successful in the development and plan stage of the design project because I believe that I have made a good plan that details the product that I will make, albeit with a few discrepancies and mistakes.

I think I can improve on my time management since I could have used my time more wisely and had finished my project as a result. I also believe that I could work on the aesthetics and design elements of the product. Although my product looks decent with neat laser-cut edges wood, I could possibly add windows, doors, or other etched decorations onto the body to improve the looks of the product.

The product is primarily intended for children to learn about energy change and at the same time have a toy that they can play around with, resulting in the children (which is the target audience/client) having fun and learning at the same time. The adjustable position of the rubber band (in the 1st prototype) can also allow for the client to explore how initially tensioning or relaxing the rubber band will affect the movement of the car, allowing for analysis of this toy as part of an experiment. I also envisioned so that objects could be placed on top of the car (on the roof), allowing for more experimentation and seeing how added mass will affect the distance traveled or other factors.

The impact my product has on the environment is not too positive, since I relied on laser-cut wood to make my product. Some areas that could be sustainable or more friendly to the environment include the straws to hold the axles, which can be made from used straws to support sustainability, and the skewers acting as axles, which can be made from used or reused skewers.

Since my last reflection, I have read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I think this novel is somewhat complicated to take in and understand, but the story is very interesting and intriguing to me. Despite the seemingly short length of the novel, it revolves around a single individual and his adventure into the future. I would only recommend this book to people that are enthusiastic and focused on reading, because the vocabulary used in this novel is similar to those used in the 1800s, requiring some effort and searching in order to get the full meaning of the book.

I’ve just finished The Time Machine and a lot has happened since the start of the book. The novel itself is about the adventure of a time traveler told from his own perspective after exploring the future a few thousand years from now, where the time traveler has to find his time machine which was hidden by the beings of the future to prevent from being stuck in the primitive future. In my opinion, the text is quite engaging, since the elements of fiction the author chooses in the novel allowed me to fully understand the abstract objects within the story by describing the objects using smilies and metaphors.

I’m currently considering using the novel Death’s End by Liu Cixin to use for my independent essay. Although this book is a very long read, I believe that I am more familiar with the cultural and literary content of the book compared to my other reads this year. I think that my chosen text uses various literary techniques to describe and convey a purpose as similarly seen in many science fiction novels, allowing for me to better and more easily analyze the choices made by the author. My current intention is to focus on how Cixin uses literary techniques within his book to convey a theme and the author’s tone towards the universe and human development. Cixin uses the elements of fiction in his novel to allow the reader to better understand the text by describing artificial and abstract items and also to understand the development of the plot and sequence of events in the story.

I am not very concerned with the independent literary essay, but I am somewhat concerned about how we will be assessed in the literary analysis essay and whether the strands assessed will be the same as before or if there will be differences from the past essay assignments.