Jason

Science engineering Blog #4

March 5, 2023 / Jason / 0 Comments

Final product review

Reflection.

The crossbow is an example of energy transfer, a transfer from elastic energy to kinetic energy. Its starts when you pull the string back to the latch. Then the energy u used to pull the string back turns into elastic potential energy and is stored in the bamboo part of the bow. After that, when the trigger is pushed down, the string will be lifted up from the latch. Due to the elastic energy stored in the bow, the bamboo would like to extend bringing the string forward. This movement pushes the projectile forward, turning the elastic energy stored into kinetic, launching the projectile forward.

Successful areas

The body of the crossbow came together very well, we were lucky to have such a hard sturdy wood to use it on.

The bamboo also went on without a hitch, for the most part.

Except for the body nothing had to be remade and we had time to sand everything down so it is more smooth.

The string is my favorite part, we found the best possible string for it and the knot we chose is really simple and effective, meaning we could remake them really well. We only had to remake the string 2 times to get the correct measurement but that’s not a big problem.

What could be improved

Due to time constraints. We didn’t have time to completely polish the crossbow. I would have liked it more if we managed to sand it a bit more using finer sand.

My biggest regret was not covering the crossbow with a layer of oil to give it a good color and waterproof it. Adding the oil would have better protected the wood from weathering away.

Impact on the environment.

This is made of wood and bamboo and metal. Except for the rope, all of the other ones can be reused or recycled. So there won’t have a very large environmental damage. However, a crossbow was used as a weapon in ancient days, and having one around might harm other people. However, the speed of this crossbow shouldn’t be strong enough to seriously injure a person. But still, keep it out of the child’s reach and make sure to wear eye protection while using it.

Potential client.

A potential client might be a person who is interested in bows and projectile launchers. Also with less power, this might be a nice toy similar to the nerf gun.

Or if you live in medieval times and need a simple yet effective long-range projectile launcher in order to stop an invading army in its tracks, while also not having explicit training to use a longbow.

Science engineering Blog #3

March 2, 2023 / Jason / 0 Comments

Crossbow

the prototype

this is the first prototype we created, using a softish wood and pretty thin compared to the final result. as a result of this the handle/part next to the trigger unfortunately snapped resulting in remaking the entire body again.

the final product

the body

with the lesson learned from last time, the final product uses a lot more sturdy wood, I also made sure to give extra length to the area that snapped on the prototype, over all, the body of the final product is just a lot more refined and sturdy version of the prototype. we also sanded the body down, especially the corners so people won’t get splinters.

the bow

the bow is just a piece of bamboo that is decently thick and that will be attached to the top of the body of the crossbow, by cutting out a block and then placing it in before filling the rest of the hole with the wood that was cut out. the body also needed grooves to be cut out or else the string won’t hold.

the trigger

the original plan for the trigger involved a crazy amount of over-engineering and over-complicating everything. involving 3D printing and cutting out a groove. however during the 2nd and 3rd class we realized how little time we had left and had to use alternate triggers. we settled on the simplest one, a piece of metal under the string to lift it up, it was held in place by a loose screw.

the string

the string is made from paracord, using the double noose method to attach them to the bamboo.

the process overall went pretty smoothly except for the part where the body of the crossbow snapped and we had to start over.

testing

We managed to get the crossbow working in the last class and managed to shoot it a few times using some wooden sticks we found. it turned out the crossbow shot with decent power and had surprisingly good accuracy.

(we gave the crossbow to Mr Hussack to shoot because we don’t trust ourselves with it)

Science engineering Blog #2

February 28, 2023 / Jason / 0 Comments

Crossbow plan

the cross bow will be consisted of mostly 2 parts them being the body of the crossbow and the bow part, with some small parts such as the trigger.

The body

the body will be made by using a 2 by 4 (like a wooden beam). the beam will then be measured and put through a band saw get the correct shape (which is around 75cm by 3cm by 8.5cm). before sanding down using the circular sander to smoothen the and have a smoother grip. if there is more time use a handheld sander to sand down the entire thing to make sure all of it is smooth and you wont get a splinter.

The bow

the bow will be a piece of bamboo that will be around 108cm long. it would be simple but would require the use of the small round saw I think to cut the corners on the ends of it to make the rope stay.

The trigger

the trigger would simply be a piece of metal or something hard on the latch so when the rope is pulled back and the rope is on the wood all we need to do it to flick the metal up and would release the string.

Connecting the body and the bow

this would be slightly tricky, however it can be done by cutting a square out of the body and putting the bamboo inside the square before filling up the square with wood and glue to hold it in place.

day 1 planning

make the plan

day 2 making

make the body

day 3 making

put bamboo onto the body

day 4 make groove and attach sting and trigger.

Science engineering task #1

February 22, 2023 / Jason / 0 Comments

what is this engineering task?

this engineering task is to make a device that will transfer energy from one type to another, for example transforming elastic energy into kinetic.

what am I thinking of doing?

there are many devices I am thinking of making such as…

1: crossbow

the crossbow is a simple yet effective projectile launcher that utilises elastic energy to launch a projectile by transforming elastic into kinetic.

the first instance of crossbows are found in around 1000bc to 700 bc ancient china. though range weapons were already utilised beforehand such as the bow. the crossbow is a lot more simple to use, having a stock and having a lock to hold the string in place the shooter does not have to maintain grip on the string and can walk with the weapon already loaded.

though formidable the crossbow and bow was eventually outclassed by the invention of the gun, however crossbows still exist to this day, unfortunately not used for combat.

what I like?

it is really simple and easy to make and a really good example of how elastic energy would be turned into kinetic energy.

what I don’t like?

if I am to make this and I don’t have suitable materials then the limb might snap and that’s not good.

target audience

people who want to have a simple projectile launcher that can be easily used. or people who live in medieval Europe who does not have the time to become a skilled archer and require a reliable easy to operate projectile weapon.

2: catapult

the earliest instance of catapults are found in the middle east in the 7 century BC. utilizing elastic energy it would launch large projectiles such as large boulders. the most famous use of catapults happened in the medievle time period where walled cities were common.

this weapon used as seige machines which are weapons used during a siege. launching rocks , fireballs (flammable material) and diseased corpses.

what I like

a really good example of elastic energy into kinetic.

what I don’t like

very complicated and hard to make.

target audience

a basic toy that launches things around. or if you are in need of a siege weapon to assist you in taking down a fortified area, by weakening the fortifications.

ISB backstage tour

February 10, 2023 / Jason / 0 Comments

this is the spotlight. it is located on the roof of the theater overlooking the stage. the spotlight is a very powerful light that will shine a beam onto the stage mostly used to highlight something or someone, the spotlight is controlled by a person whose job is to point it at the actors.

this is the control panel this is where the backstage crew controls the flys that will go up or down. this will set the scenes on stage based on the needs of the show. different flys can show different areas and this will control which flys go down.

these are the motor that the control panel controls they are the ones that do the heavy lifting and actually lift the flys up or let them down. they receive information from the control panels and start spinning lifting the flys up or down.

this is the pit. underneath the stage. this is where the orchestra or band people reside while a show is happening. it is very cramped and it is a place where the musicians play music without disturbing the show as much.

this is the lighting area on top of the roof above the audience. it has rows of powerful light that shines onto the actors on stage. these particular ones are powered by a light bulb instead of a led which makes them incredibly hot while running.

stagecraft intro

January 31, 2023 / Jason / 0 Comments

i am a freshman and i have 2 dogs

i am interested in making some props and knowing more about the backstage of a theater production.

i am not really concerned about anything at the moment. though however I would prefer scenic design but I don’t mind lighting.

i did design in middle school.

Drama monologe reflection

November 6, 2022 / Jason / 0 Comments

What you are proud of, what do you think you could improve on

something I’m proud of is my voice. i think I did a good job being loud and intimidating. one thing I could improve on is probably my actions. i still wandered around a bit and my actions aren’t as good as I wanted them to be. though I wandered a lot less than before. but over all I think I did a pretty good job.

what did you use from Stanislavsky’s work?

i used communication since in the movie Tyler Durden was talking to an entire crowd of people.

One discovery you found (what you learned to use)

I learned to use different tones to speak different lines. changing emotion and the way I said it I think adds more dimensions to the monologue. it really helps showing the emotion and the tone you want the other person/audience to hear.

improvoisation

September 28, 2022 / Jason / 0 Comments

during improvisation, we did the final assessment which we had one line we had to add to our short skit, then we had 3 minutes to prepare then act it out. we also did some warm-up activities like a park bench where two people improvised and add on to people, and 3 things where we go in a circle asking questions and answering without much thought.

I use to think improvisation is really hard you need to be trained to be good at it, but now after some experience that improvisation isn’t as hard as I thought it was and it was actually pretty easy as long as you follow the other person.

something big I will remember about improvisation is you need to go with the flow and add on to the other person and build a story like that. it will stick with me because adding on to other people keeps the story going.

during improvisation, i found trying to make a story and start the improv really hard because i can’t think of a good story to start or tell. something i think i did well was adding on to other people’s stories and making it funnier i guess. i think this can help as an actor or ensemble member because it means we can react to sudden changes and adapt to it.

9 effective ensemble member qualities

September 20, 2022 / Jason / 0 Comments

1: risk taker

2: positive and energetic

3: aware and in control

4: Focused

5: active listener

6: cooperative and collaborative

7: Efficient

8: leaders and followers

9: positively critical and able to act on that criticism

I think I would need to focus on being focused because I am very easily distracted by my friends causing me to not understand things people say. also during middle school shows, I am easily distracted causing me to lose my queue (just once though). so I really need to work on being focused and having my head in the game.

Capstone Project

May 31, 2022 / Jason / 1 Comment

Carbon Emissions How Can We Solve It

introduction:

The Earth is a barren wasteland. The Arctic is nothing, but another big ocean. Coastal cities are abandoned concrete structures submerged in water. Oceans that used to be filled with fish and life and rainforest filled with exotic animals are gone, replaced by barren deserts. This might sound like a dystopia tale, but this is our future if we do not stop climate change. Every year according to according to The World Counts we emit 43.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide which is 76 percent of all gas emissions we give out, and out of the 43.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide, 72 percent comes from the energy sector. With that much carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere it enhances the greenhouse gas effect which will lead to our world being transformed into a dystopian future.

The Problem:

Before we talk about carbon dioxide solutions, we need to talk about what would happen if we don’t stop emitting. Climate change is very real and is happening right now. Climate change is caused by the greenhouse gas effect. What it means is that the gases we emit, which are mostly made up of carbon dioxide, are released into the atmosphere. Normally the heat from the sun hits earth and then gets reflected away, but the greenhouse gas effect makes it so that the heat gets trapped on earth, warming the entire planet. Climate change is a broader term. It includes both global warming and its impact on the earth’s weather. When the world heats up due to climate change droughts and floods will happen a lot more often, causing some communities to be unable to sustain themselves. deserts will expand. Extreme weather events like hurricanes will happen a lot more often, causing lots of damage. Coastal cities would be flooded by the ocean because the polar ice caps are melting. Coral reefs which contain 25 percent of all marine life would die and the marine life that relies on them would be forced to relocate or become extinct. With this grim future in mind, it is no wonder why the world health organization (WOT) would consider climate change to be the greatest threat to global health, and why so many people are working hard to try to solve this problem.

So how exactly can we solve this problem?

Alternatives to fossil fuel:

Unfortunately, unless carbon capture machines could instantly capture all 43.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide, we emit each year. We cannot just put a stop to climate change instantly, but we still need to stop the number of emissions we emit each year as fast as possible. The sector that is most responsible for the emissions is no doubt the energy sector. After all, it emits 72 percent of all carbon dioxide. According to Wikipedia 31.2 percent of energy comes from oil, 27.2 percent from coal 24.7 percent from natural gas. This means a whopping 83.1 percent of all energy comes from unsustainable energy sources. This is unacceptable if we want to stop climate change, so we must investigate alternate 0 emissions sources.

Number 1: solar power

Solar power, at first it might sound like a very promising alternative since it is 0 carbon emission and is easy to install and the price has been dropping every year making it more affordable. But the downsides start to show the further you look into it. First, it takes up a lot of space, pollutes the environment during manufacturing, it is expensive to keep the energy stored and of course the biggest problem, it only works when the sun is out. Pairing this problem with the fact that it is very hard to store the energy and we currently do not have the batteries needed to store the energy we need, and because solar energy doesn’t work during nighttime and that is the time we use energy the most, we can say that solar energy does not have the ability right now to replace fossil fuels.

Number 2: wind power

Wind power is one of the cleanest energy sources there is, having no pollution unless it was during manufacturing the metal, and it doesn’t interfere with farmland operations that might happen underneath it. But just like solar power, there are serious downsides to it. First off, windmills are loud, and it does not look very pretty, also it is hard to build and they are a threat to local wildlife according to Ferris from Energy Monitor, windmills kill 538000 birds per year, and the nail in the coffin, it only works when there is wind. It has the same problem with solar energy as it can’t be stored with current technology making it unable currently to replace fossil fuels.

Number 3: hydro energy.

Hydro energy uses water to spin a turbine which creates energy. Unlike solar and wind, it runs 24/7 without stopping. It is reliable, it stores drinking water, and it helps stop floods because we use dams regardless of hydro energy why not kill 2 birds with 1 stone and generate some energy while we are at it. Slight problem with this though, and it is that building dams aren’t cheap, they are massive projects that take a lot of material and manpower to make it. Also, to make the dam you would need to relocate millions of people that live in the area, sometimes with bad organization and a lack of a plan that could end in disaster. For example, in 1982, 369 people were killed in Guatemala during the construction of a dam. Not to mention the fact that there are only so many dams we can build which means fossil fuel still has hydro energy beaten on numbers.

Number 4: nuclear energy.

When people think of nuclear energy they think of Chornobyl and Fukushima. This is reasonable after all these two reactor meltdowns are the most serious ones we had, it caused miles of land to be so radiated, that it became uninhabitable, and people that were close to the reactors suffered radiation poisoning which cause the death of hundreds. But how much death does nuclear power result in and how does it compare to other energy sources. According to Madhumitha Jaganmohan from statista.com coal causes 100,000 deaths per thousand-terawatt hour. Oil causes 36000 deaths, natural gas causes 4000, hydro causes 1400, wind causes 150, and nuclear only causes 90. The lowest of the bunch, not to mention nuclear energy, is 0 emissions energy source that runs 24/7 nonstop. But a slight problem is that it produces nuclear waste that is hard to get rid of. But personally, it is better to live with some nuclear waste than to see our world crumble. So by the looks of things, the only energy that can stand against fossil fuels is hydro and nuclear but can nuclear work on a large scale. According to Wikipedia in 2020, 78 percent of Frances’s energy comes from nuclear energy, so the answer is yes, nuclear can work on a large scale.

solving the problem locally:

although solar panels aren’t usable currently on a large scale, that isn’t true on a small scale, local areas won’t use as much energy as a large city so there will be less battery required, and the Achilles heel of solar panels is the lack of storage, on a local level this can be overlooked. solar panels are easy to install and it isn’t expensive. not to mention you could install it on the roof making space not an issue. communities that use this already exist using solar power to power their homes. so far solar power is the most popular choice for local power generation. Windmills are massive, they take a lot of effort to put up and it is very loud and obstructive. Hydroelectric dams are huge and require so much time and money to build and maintain it, that no small community would have the resources to build one. let’s be honest, no one wants to live next to a nuclear reactor. so locally the best way of solving the energy problem is by using solar panels.

conclusion:

So the future of energy looks like it’s going to be replaced by nuclear energy or not change at all right? Well no. If you look at this chart from Wikipedia.

image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_electricity_by_source#cite_note-aeo-14

The prices of renewable energy between 2010 and 2020 are drastically different. Both wind and solar power prices have dropped drastically. Meaning the longer these technologies exist, the cheaper they will get. Keep in mind that wind and solar energy is still very early in development and this chart proves that wind and solar energy has the potential to replace fossil fuels, which is our goal. The more people buy and use these technologies the cheaper they will get, the cheaper they get the more people to buy. Together we can stop a dystopian future from happening, but we need to put the effort into stopping the carbon emissions.

Works Cited

(no author shown) C2ES Center for Climate and Energy Solution. www.c2es.org/content/what-we-can-do/.

(Nick Ferris) Energy Monitor. abcbirds.org/blog21/wind-turbine-mortality/.

(no author shown) )Our World in Data. ourworldindata.org/ghg-emissions-by-sector.

(Madhumitha Jaganmohan) Statista. www.statista.com/statistics/494425/death-rate-worldwide-by-energy-source/.

(no author shown) US EPA. www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions.

Wikipedia. (no author shown) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_France#:~:text=Energy%20in%20France%20is%20generated,for%2019.1%25%20of%20energy%20consumption.

Wikipedia. (no author shown) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy#:~:text=Renewable%20energy%20is%20energy%20that,are%20sustainable%2C%20some%20are%20not.

(no author shown)The World Counts. www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/climate-change/global-warming/global-co2-emissions/story.

"life is like a box of chocolates. you never know what your gonna get." forrest gump