ePortfolio Entry 1

This is a post I wrote about a Science and Engineering challenge we did in class: 

Faraday's Golfing Machine Challenge

Here is an example of one of the golfing machines with the ping pong ball we used. We used the tires to turn the first motor. By turning the first motor, electricity was generated and sent to the second motor to make it hit the ball.

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Academic Reflection Form for Portfolio Work

1. What standards did this example demonstrate or why was it assigned? 

Middle School Engineering, Technology and Applications of Science standards:

MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Middle School Physical Science Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions -

MS-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.

2. I chose this assignment for my portfolio because it shows what I learned about how magnets are used to generate electricity and it shows how my team successfully completed the design challenge.

3. By completing this assignment I learned that magnets moving through copper wiring generate electricity. Faraday's Law led to the development of the electric motor and of generators. I also learned how to build a golfing machine and how to build a structure to hold the machine up. I made the golfing machine hit a ping pong ball and hit a target across the table.

4. In the future, this knowledge will help me because I will understand how motors and generators work and I know that I can build things to solve problems. Engineering is fun!

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For the Faraday Golfing Machine challenge I am mostly a Practitioner! I was able to figure out and explain how Faraday's Law applied to our golfing machine and how Faraday's Law made it so that my mechanical energy used to turn the first motor generated electricity that flowed to the second motor and made it run. Making the second motor run allowed our golfing machine to hit the ping pong ball. We got full points on the challenge.