Energy Transformation Project—Define and Inquire
User: Students in elementary school who are getting to know about energy transformations. The product should thus be safe to use (no flames/chemicals/sharp edges) and relatively straightforward.
Purpose: The product must demonstrate the transformation of some type of potential energy into kinetic energy.
Other considerations: Environmental impact—Since the product will be a single-use model belonging in a school curriculum, we want to consider the environmental impact of it; thus, the product will be constructed out of recycled material like plastic bottles and recycled paper. Time—We have 4 classes to complete the project, which should be enough time to plan, create, and fix problems if there are any.
We considered four designs in total during this stage in the project. The first two are both toys based on vehicles, and they are mainly representative of elastic potential energy being transformed into kinetic energy. The last two products are inspired by the design for Heron’s fountain, in which a series of sections ensure a non-stop water flow. These two designs are representative of gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy.
Left: airplane; we wanted to throw the plane like we normally would but then let the air in the balloon sustain it. It didn’t make too much sense. Right: car; under the same logic.
At first we considered the design on the left, which is the most common version of Heron’s water fountain. It works because the rise in water levels pushes air up into upper sections, which in turn pushes water downwards. The water then travels up the longest straw and spills out. However, the design for this product was already set in stone, and there wasn’t much space for improvement. Instead, we decided on transforming the diagram on the right (which is also a type of design for Heron’s fountain) into a structure made with bottles and straws. This would work similarly compared to the initial design, with water pushing air up and air pushing water out. The kind of energy transformation present here is gravitational potential energy —> kinetic energy, since the excess water flows down due to gravity and causes the movement throughout the structure.
Summary
Our chosen design fits within the criteria I listed at the start. It is suitable for younger students because it is safe and easy to use, with the only instruction being that water is poured into the correct locations. It demonstrates the transformation of gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy. It is also environmentally friendly because we can use recycled plastic bottles and straws to construct the product. In the process of reaching this final design, we considered three more precedents; however, we concluded that this design has the potential to be the most original and most innovative for it was previously a diagram, and we made it into a structure that can be replicated with bottles and straws.