Give an overview of your design process, sharing the product & your learning.

My design process was overall successful. With many obstacles on the way, we still managed to finish the design.  Below is our final product. Next to it is the wiring and electrical system inside. In my designing process, I did many attempts at technology but failed many times. However, I keep on working on my model. Which led me to a finished model. Another big obstacle is electrical wiring. I watched many online Tutorials on how to create a lighting system, in which I did find a suitable one. However, as I tried the tutorial, I realized that many light bulbs didn’t light up as the tutorial showed. I struggled for a long time and I watch the video multiple times. At the last, I finally notice that the voltage of the battery I use is not powerful enough for 2 light bulbs and the transitioning process. One lightbulb requires 1.7V and I need two of them, while my batteries only have 2V in total. After adding two more batteries, my lighting system finally work properly. Everything else than the electricity went smoothly, with me carefully measuring the areas of grass/ decorative items, and following my steps. However, My mistake with the light system taught me the important things about scientific modeling — care and patience. Under my constant observation, I found and corrected my mistakes, which also brought the project back to life when it might have failed. This is the most important thing for me to learn from this experiment.

 

Use the rubric & your success criteria to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the product.

In the HS-PS3-3, the rubric states that “Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy”. Reflecting on this, I was able to design, build and refine a device, which explains energy transformation. My model educates children about energy transformation from electrical t light. This type is energy transformation is crucial to our daily life, from powering a car to lighting up a house, which is what I decided to make. In my model, I used a telephone pole to represent the source of electricity, this is because, in a regular household, electricity is often powered by the poles that Carried electricity, transmitting electricity into the household. Since it is impossible to build a functioning full system of how electricity is distributed from its origin, I decided to use a telephone pole to represent it. This is what I think my product’s strength is: using a simple and understandable model to explain a complex concept that is difficult to understand by an early elementary student. One weakness of the product is the details. In my product, I think that the overall structure and design are fine, but the details such as the connecting point from the house to the ground, windows, and doors need more work. If we had more time, we might be able to make it better and have a better decoration for our roof, which also count as details. Overall, it was a good model.

 

  Explain how and why your toy/device meets the design specifications.

As explained above, my model explains the conversion of electrical energy into light energy. This is fundamental but important energy conversion. My model Simple models allow my clients, early elementary school students, to see at a glance what energy is being converted. Electrical energy, which I represent with telephone poles, is familiar to many elementary school students, who understand that there is electricity in these poles and that they are connected to the home. Light energy, I use a home shape to represent. This is because pupils are most familiar with home and school, and know that they need to use light to make their homes light up. Such a simple model allows elementary school students to understand a concept (energy transformation) that may be complex for them. Outside of the model, I have a drawing of my circuit, which contains some basic circuit representations, such as batteries and light bulbs. This allows elementary school students to learn how energy transformation takes place, and how electricity is turned into light to illuminate their homes, after receiving simple models.

 

Other reflections: What are you most proud of? What was most challenging?

The thing that I am most proud of is also what is the most challenging part, which is overcoming problems. At the beginning of the design, I thought it would be a very simple model that would just be 3D-printed and wired. But the truth is that it’s not that simple. As an electrical novice, I had little understanding of wires and batteries. On the day of my production, many people who could help me were absent, but I was able to finish my work with the help of a few. At the same time, during my production, the failure of 3d printing delayed my plan a lot, but I was still able to complete it within time, and when faced with difficulties, I thought outside the box to solve the difficulties. To me, that’s was I am most proud of.

video of my device