Our task is to create a product based on one of the four criteria: a toy that converts energy, utilizes a renewable energy source that converts to electrical energy, a device that transfers energy, or a device that can be used to learn physics.

I considered the four options and chose to make a toy that converts energy as it is most appealing to my interest. I recently saw a product named “string launcher” online and instantly thought of it when faced with the criteria; it was perfect- a toy that converted energy in the order of chemical, electrical, mechanical to kinetic, it transferred energy in the process, and it could even be used to learn physics. However, this toy wouldn’t be suitable for kids too young as they might be confused about how to set up and use the string launcher, which negates its effects as a physics concept tool (although that is not the criteria I have chosen). Furthermore, three-year-old kids might eat the string thinking it was spaghetti.

Other products I considered were a basketball launcher, chemical energy to elastic energy to kinetic energy, which I thought was too generic as I already had a project where I had to create one back in middle school. A marble run, gravitational energy to kinetic energy, I personally thought the idea of a marble run was genius but then the string launcher captivated me even more, I also thought the marble run was too simple and I could create more in the time provided. A frisbee launcher, chemical energy to elastic energy to kinetic energy, which I thought was too difficult and the materials would be a hassle to find online. Therefore, I chose to make the string launcher which was already my initial idea anyway.

Writing after I finished all the building, some pros and cons about the product have to be addressed. The product is very unique and many seemed interested after watching some demonstration videos online, all the materials required could also be accessed at school and it didn’t require incredibly advanced techniques in the build process. However, the product was still quite difficult to build as it required a basic understanding of circuitry, and all measurements had to be incredibly precise, or the mechanism wouldn’t work. In addition, the most difficult part is that there is a time frame we have to complete the product, so there aren’t a lot of chances for failure.