Motors

today we had a lab about electricity. There were three experiments, but we only got to one and a half so I won't talk about the last one. In the first experiment we wrappesd copper wire around a straw and attached both ends of the wire to a battery. The we put a needle into one end of the straw and because the wire had been magnetized by the energy moving through it, the needle moved to the middle of the straw on its own. Then we made a contraption with wire that looks like that. We had to make a coil of wire with the ends poking out of it. Then we set up the battery-rubber band-paperclip-magnet thing and we put the wire on top of the paper clips and spun it. The point of the experiment was to make an instrument that would keep the wire spinning forever. However, ours was not working properly, so it would just spin once or twice then stop.

Remote Repairs Lab

Today we did a lab where we were supposed to tell each other how to build a contraption made of Legos. The hard part is, we had to do it by telling each other how on a telephone. We couldn't see what we were supposed to build, so it was difficult to tell each other how to build it quickly, because we only had an hour to describe three Lego things, and build them. We didn't manage to get through all of the descriptions, but we got through two and they were very much like the things that they were supposed to be. I think that if we had had a little more time, we would have been able to get them all done.

Launching From The Moon Lab

Today we did a lab where we had to get a balloon, and a straw up a length of fishing line. It was really hard, because in addition to the balloon we had to get a lot of different stuff, including a foam ball, paper towel tube and 2 wheels up the line, but not all at once. It was really difficult because the balloons didn't always push the stuff up the string, sometimes it just spun it around and around. I think that this was because we didn't hold the string tight enough.

Recovery System

Today we did a lab where we had to create parachutes out of garbage bags, tape, string, and balloons filled with sand. The point was to figure out how to create a parachute that would hold up a sand balloon when held over a blow drier. First we just cut a square out of the garbage bag. Then we attached a string to each of the sides and corners, then to a balloon. We tried to make it stay up with the blow drier, but it fell really quickly. We attached a lighter balloon and tried again. It worked pretty well, but we decided it could be better. We cut a small hole in the top, to change the drag, and it worked really well. Then we dropped it from the top of the stairs, just to see what would happen. It just floated down. I wonder what would happen if you had a parachute on the moon.

Lego Robots Lab

Today I did a lab that involved programing lego robots. We had to make them do stuff like push rocks to a certain spot, go through a gate, and go up a hill. It was really challenging because the people in my group were all working separately, instead of combining brain power and working together. It was really frustrating, because we didn't have enough time, and we weren't working together. If we were to do it again I think we should have all worked together. I think that would have worked much better.