Evidence of Work
For this project we were asked to create a design for our new STEM science building that should be finished by 2021. I was in a group with Izagani and Pranav in this project. Before actually starting our design we learned a lot about Earth, atoms, the sun, and much more. We also created a day lighting model to see which techniques were most successful during different times of day. This allowed us to find which techniques we would incorporate in of science building design.
Earth's Layers
Earth is home to 3 main layers. These layers include the crust, mantle, and core. The crust's depth can range from 3.1 miles deep to 43.5 miles deep, with the deeper parts being continental crust and the shallower parts being oceanic crust. The next part is the mantle and is the thickest layer at 1795.7 miles in depth. The mile contains two parts which are the upper and lower mantles. The difference between the two is that the lower mantle is more solid. The final part is the core, containing a liquid inner core and a solid outer core. The solid outer core is 3200 miles form the Earth's surface. And the liquid inner core is 3958 miles from the surface
My Model of Orbits
For this task we were given a poster and asked to create a model of the solar system with any four planets and the sun. At the beginning we were asked to make a model of the solar system based on our prior knowledge. Our model included The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and The Moon. For Mercury, Venus, Earth, and The Moon we included its distance from The Sun, escape velocity, and mean temperature. After creating a model that included some facts about the planets we were given a mystery planet that we had to create an equation to find something that we didn't know about the planet. For our phenomena we chose escape velocity and temperature. From there, we created 2 equations to put the phenomena we were looking for into a predictable range. All of predicted data was assuming that the planet had an atmosphere similar to Earth's. Our equation for escape velocity was 9.8 divided by the mystery planet's acceleration due to gravity is equal to 11.2 divided by x, which is the escape velocity of the planet. For the temperature we just took distance from the sun for Earth and how its distance from the sun affects its temperature and applied that to our mystery planet.
Solar Angles
Solar angles are constantly changing throughout the day and year. These angles change throughout the day due to the Earth's axis rotating once every 24 hours. Another way the axis affects solar angles is that it tilts making one hemisphere more exposed to the sun than the other during certain periods of the year. In June and July the Northern Hemisphere is slightly tilted more towards the sun than the Southern Hemisphere, whereas in December and January the Southern Hemisphere is slightly tilted more towards the sun than the Northern Hemisphere. In March, April, September, and October both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres face the sun equally. Another reason why the solar angles change each day is because Earth is in a constant elliptical orbit around the sun. And it is during this orbit that the Earth tilts throughout a 365 day and 5 hour period.
Atomic Structure
For a day, our class put a focus on atomic structure and how atoms work on a fairly basic level. To put it simply, an atom has 3 main parts, those being protons, neutrons, and electrons. The protons and neutrons are held very closely together and are what make up the nucleus. And the electrons rotate rapidly around the nucleus. Atoms also have an interesting way of staying together. The protons and neutrons stay in the nucleus because of its powerful force, the protons give the nucleus a positive charge. This positive charge attracts the negatively charged electron to the nucleus. The number protons in an atom also determine the atomic number. Isotopes are atoms with the same number of protons ,but different numbers of neutrons.
Day Lighting Design Model
For this project we were asked to create a 1000 square foot house and incorporate all of the required day lighting techniques. In our home we decided to go with a more "out of the box" design, modeling our house to look like a mushroom. And in the center of the "mushroom" design is an elevator that takes you to our largest room. This became especially challenging when we finally got to the maker's space to bring our blueprint to life. It was very difficult to not only curve the cardboard to form it into our design, but also very difficult to start because we were dealing with a circular shape, so making it to scale seemed much harder. In our model we included a solar tube, two skylights, a clerestory window, a light shelf, and a few regular windows. From there, we went back to class the next day and used a bright light to see which techniques were the most successful. We found all of these techniques successful but a few of them stood out. We found the light shelf to be great, reflecting the light directly into the room. As well as the solar tube which was slightly tilted at the top of our model and lit our largest room up perfectly.
Justification Document
Science Building Design
For the new science building we were given several requirements that had to be included in our design. Some of the requirements included having 10 classrooms. More specifically, 2 biotech labs, 2 chemistry labs, and 6 other classrooms to be used for physics and biology. And the building could be not larger than 13,000 sq. feet. For our design we decided to go with a horseshoe design to follow the San Marin culture and for our general spaces we included 3 physics classrooms and 3 biology classrooms . We also included a storage/prep room and a bathroom. Another important feature in our design was the courtyard. For our flooring in the courtyard we decided on concrete brick. We also had 4 tables, a stage for lecturing or outside learning, bleachers in front of the stage, and a large garden with a tree in the center that provides shade. For our day lighting techniques we used windows, skylights, and clerestory windows.
Reflection
Throughout this project I thought there were many things that I did well. One thing I thought I did well was staying focused on the task at hand and not getting sidetracked. I also thought I did a great job when it came to letting my group members know my thoughts because in the past there were multiple occasions where I didn't speak up. One other thing I thought I did well on was managing my time because I never felt behind or rushed on anything. I also thought I did a good job when it came to presenting because even though I didn't rehearse it as much as I should have I delivered what I was supposed to say clearly and didn't feel nervous at any time while I was presenting.
However, there are also some things I know I could improve upon. One of which is that I want to be more of a leader and make sure everyone is heard. Another thing I want to do better is be more prepared for the presentation because in this project we didn't rehearse our presentation and there was a misunderstanding on which slides certain people would read. Another thing I would like to do better is valuing my time more because there were times in the maker space where I just stared at the screen blankly when I could have helped Pranav with the physical model or added more detail to our 3D model on Tinkercad.
However, there are also some things I know I could improve upon. One of which is that I want to be more of a leader and make sure everyone is heard. Another thing I want to do better is be more prepared for the presentation because in this project we didn't rehearse our presentation and there was a misunderstanding on which slides certain people would read. Another thing I would like to do better is valuing my time more because there were times in the maker space where I just stared at the screen blankly when I could have helped Pranav with the physical model or added more detail to our 3D model on Tinkercad.