For this project, we were assigned to design an outdoor classroom. Before we started working on this, we had to figure out what type of structure we were going to design, how to keep it warm, how the sun and angles of the sun would affect it, how to build a solar water heater, how heat affects the state of matter, and finally, where to build it. We worked, designed, built, and presented our final product. Our first lab for the project was to design a solar water heater to learn how the sun affected different materials. We left the heater in the sun with water continuously running through it and took the water's temperature every five minutes. This helped us learn what materials were the best to use.
Atomic Structure
Atoms are the basic building block of all matter. Protons have a positive charge and are located in the nucleus. Neutrons are neutrally charged are also in the nucleus. There are electrons, which are negatively charged and orbit the nucleus. The amount of protons there are, that is the atomic number, The amount of protons and neutrons combined is the atomic mass. Atoms usually have an equal amount of protons, neutrons, and electrons, if they are not an isotope or ion. (An ion is an atom with an unequal amount of electrons. An isotope is an atom with an unequal amount of neutrons.
There are three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. Solids have molecules that are very close together and barely move (Ex. ice). Liquids have molecules that move around more freely than solids (Ex. water). Gases have molecules that move the fastest and most freely (Ex. steam).
Wind Turbine Lab
Another one of our labs had the mission to create the most efficient wind turbine blade. We tested the blades on a vertical axis and horizontal axis on speeds of low, medium and high. We also measured the velocity of the blades using the voltage the blades produced. We discovered that aluminium blades built like a pinwheel were the most efficient. We also discovered that the size of said aluminium pinwheel affected the velocity and amount of voltage the blade produced.