Math into Power

Grade ten is now coming to a close, and one of our largest units yet has ended. This last project we have done has integrated both math and science units. In math, we learned about linear equations and how they can be used to predict the future. In science, we learned about different types of energy and the benefits of each type. The project we did included both of these units, and it was about how we could create the most efficient form of energy, and how we could show the progression of energy over time and how much it would produce using the graphs and equations we learned in math.

This project was a group project, and I was with Kate, Michael, Willa, and Alex. Before starting anything, we began brainstorming different ideas for our electrical generator. The sky seemed like the limit for this project, and there were a lot of ideas we had in mind. One of the ideas was to use steam power and create a steam powered generator. This seemed very interesting to us, and we created different drafts and sketches of how we thought the generator would be interpreted. After a few days of throwing out ideas for our steam powered generator, we were shut down but our teacher. We were all pretty devastated about him denying our idea, but it was pretty dangerous. If the generator were to be not constructed well at school, it could have blown up and our members could have been easily injured.

Our group then went with the classic water wheel, which everybody else in the class was doing as well. Our first draft was made out of plastic spoons and hot glue, and it seemed as if we were ready to test it out. Unfortunately, our hand generator was a lot harder to turn then everybody elses, which made the wheel much harder to spin with the current. The spoons did not work as planned, and we quickly scrapped the idea of using spoons.

Our next idea was to use pop cans. The pop cans had much more space to catch more water, and in turn, spin faster and generate more power. We finished the construction and it was time to attempt our wheel for the second time. This time it generated a lot of power and powered the LED lights, along with Michael dropping his phone in the river.

At least the phone was OK

The next goal for this project was to create a short infomercial about the product. I volunteered to create and edit the video, as I enjoy video editing and creating. The video was supposed to be cheesy and funny, so we made it that way. You can watch the video below.

Overall, this project involved a lot of different elements, and two different units from math and science. This integration of units makes project even more interesting, and although there were many ups and downs for thei project, we got it done and my group felt proud of what we accomplished.

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