End of Tech (Blog Post #9)
Tech was a very fun quarterly and really helped me to explore different things. When you think of tech you think of computer but actually is building and exploring. Tech was great and I recommend it for you!
Flashlight Diagram(Blog Post #7)
For the past week, we have been diagraming and designing a real working flashlight. The diagram I designed that was in the shape of a gun. There is three wires, two red that connect to the switch and one black wire. The materials we had were PVC pipe, wires, solder, battery, switch, and more. We started with a first draft with the PVC pipes. After we started to measure everything like our wires and pipes. After all of this diagraming and approved from our teacher Mr. Calvert, we could finally start out real flashlight. Diagraming was a important part of the process and really made me start to think.
Third Switch and Breadboard(Blog Post #6)
My third switch was a very complex different idea. I first was going to make this a seesaw push switch. This turned out to be a popsicle falling switch. When you un-tape the popsicle it falls down and hits the tinfoil. The switch has a base of popsicles and small straws. Here is the switch:
As you can see the popsicle is hanging and will eventually touch the tinfoil on the bottom. After these tree switches we started to experiment with breadboards. When we were using the breadboard, we could put a wire in a different part of the breadboard and the wire were not touching the LED wire but the LED lights would still light up.
Switches #1, #2 (Blog Post #5)
In class we are designing switches that can light a LED light. My first switch design, I got from the inspiration of someone else. This switch would be a push switch. You would push down the popsicle stick and the tin foil on the popsicle stick would touch the tin foil on the cardboard. There is also a rubber band that provides the popsicle stick to go back to the original place. This is the switch:
My second switch was a very simple clapper that when you fold down the cardboard, the two tin foils touch. The fold also gives a bounced back feature that lets the fold bounce back. Here is the switch:
These are my first two switches.
Nikola Tesla (Blog Post #4)
In class we watched a movie on the mad scientist, Nikola Tesla. Nikola is a scientist that invented one of the most respected inventions of all time, alternating current. This current is what runs through your house outlets and the street wires. Nikola Tesla started to test the Tesla Coil. The Tesla Coil is a huge conductor that was eventually supposed to be a communication system that can access all across the world. This was though to be impossible
Circuits (Blog Post #3)
LIGHT BULB! How do these machines work? To complete a circuit and to light a lightbulb you need a closed circuit. The electrons in a circuit need to complete in a full round. The electrons will travel through the light bulb and light the bulb up. Circuits are very complicated machines. Some of these circuit make a bigger and brother lightbulb with more volts of power but some are conservative and more dim. Tech has been very interesting . I have learned so much tech stuff in this class. I now know about atoms, elements, etc. I am exited to see what we learn next. Different materials can conduct better electricity. Wood does not conduct but metal does. Circuits are innovating things.
Atoms in Tech (Blog Post #2)
Do you know what atoms are? The size? Imagine a grapefruit and the many atoms inside the fruit. How big do you have to make the grapefruit so that the human eye can see the atoms? You have to make it the size of EARTH! And guess what size the atoms are now? A BLUEBERRY! When you make a grapefruit the size of earth, you get blueberry sized atoms. Crazy! Atoms are made of electrons, protons, and neutrons. We played many games in class that relate to elements and atoms. This games really helped me remember how atoms are made of and what they are. Atoms are very interesting things and I would love to learn more about it.
Welcome to Tech Class (Blog Post #1)
TECH CLASS. MIDDLE SCHOOL. 4TH QUARTER. At first I thought tech class was about technology and the internet and you probably think it will be too. WRONG! Tech is a class about creativity and building. I just had my first three days of tech and I now realize that we will be using power tools to make creative useful projects. In tech, you have to be especially safe in the room. 1st rule: Think before you act. Thinking is very important. Thinking allows you to realize what you are actually doing and if it is safe. Some of my friends have shown me projects that they have made like flashlights, wooden machines and many others. I am so exited for tech class and the many things we will explore. Welcome to Tech Class!
Machines(Blog Post #8)
We made little machines in tech together, my inspiration was a little spinning plate that can spin a train through a background. I used wheels and awes to make a machine that spins a circle. After this process, I put the sun in the middle of the circle and the earth spinning around. This was to make a orbit and how our planet orbits around the sun. This machine was very fun and creative. Making the planet inspired me to make other different things. Machines were very cool.
Capstone #7 – Presenting to the Parents
We presented our Capstones to our families. We were split into different rooms, some were in the classroom, library, computer lab and the auditorium. I was in the auditorium and it was very different because we had a mic that made your voice very loud. You had to speak very loud and clear. I was kind of nervous for the presentation but during the real presentation I was very relaxed because I knew the parents were not going to judge me. After this long journey we finally finished Capstone. Capstone was fun and hard. Here is my performance: