Spool Racer Blog Post #2
1. Given the challenge and the performance of your car on Test Drive #1, what change(s) will you make for Test Drive #2?
we were definitely stuck on what to do for our second test. but then we thought that maybe we could combine our first two tests to make a better car. so I got the weel to finally work while Coby worked on powering it.
2. What differences did you predict these changes would make in your car’s performance? What makes you think this?
it definitely worked better in speed than our last test.
3. Think about the variables such as the size of the spool, weight of the washer or tension of the rubber band. How might
these affect how far or how fast your car will go?
I feel like if our design was a bit lighter, then it would move a bit further.
4. What worked better the second time?
Well, we got the wheels and the rubber band to make it work.
5. What still is not quite working?
It did not go as far as our slingshot idea.
6. What questions do I have?
what would happen if the design was lighter or made with different materials?
7. What might I try next?
maybe design it to be lighter or make it with different material
8. Explain the energy transfer that is taking place in the racer.
the rubber bad at the top stretches back before contracting when launched. that energy helps the car move forward with a small blast of speed.
spool racer test #1
In science class, we were put in pairs and told to make a racecar using a spool and a rubber band to power the car. here are the first two ideas:
#1:
#2:
Prototype #1:
Prototype #2:
1. What do you like about your initial design?
I liked both of our designs. I like design #1 because of how cute it looks. I like design #2 because of how effective it is and how fun it is to launch.
2. What has been challenging about the initial design?
Designing #1 was probably the most difficult because we could still not get it to work. The weel wouldn’t roll, and we still had no idea how to power it with a rubber band.
3. How well did your racer perform in the first race? Did it go far? Fast?
I think that #2 performed really well. It was the fastest and it went the farthest distance in the class. I cannot give the exact measurements because we do not have them at the moment.
4. How will you modify your design for the second race? What variables do you feel will affect how far and fast the racer goes? Why?
I really hope we can get #1 to work. since #2 is technically not allowed, I really hope that I can get the weel to work. Maybe we could use the slingshot idea to power the car? also, I wanna make our racer look like a mini car.
5. What have been your strengths and challenges during the design process?
I and my partner’s strengths were coming up with good ideas. although some of them did not work, I think they have great potential.
6. What questions do you have?
how am I going to get the weel to work for design #1????
egg drop
Answer the following prompts (copy and paste these prompts into your post and bold them):
Describe your prototype design.
How does your prototype protect the egg?
there are soft tissues that act like a cushion so the egg isn’t harmed
Describe your design process, in detail.
first we got a small paper cup and put tissues and the egg inside. next, we wrapped that cup in more tissues and duct tape. lastly, we tied a balloon onto it for fun.
What worked well in your design?
the design was really small and was easy to drop.
What was challenging throughout this process? What would you do differently?
it was challenging to try and make the design smaller because of how much we were wrapping the cup. I would probably not have put so many tissues inside the cup because the egg was really cramped in there.
egg drop challenge
1.describe your prototype design
we put an egg inside a small plastic cup then wrapped it in tape and tissues
2. how does your prototype protect your egg?
the soft tissues will break the fall for the egg
3. describe the design process
well we first started with a big cup and wrapped it and it worked. but then we decided to challenge ourselves to make it smaller.
Food for Thought: Temperature and Odor
Do you think the temperature of the room affects the time it takes an odor to get to your nose? Explain your answer. Provide two pieces of scientific reasoning to explain why.
I think yes the temperature does affect the odor. For example, if chocolates were melted, the smell would be stronger and travels faster to my nose ( also because I love chocolate) another example if a burger is frozen it takes longer to smell but when you cook it, it is strong and travels to my nose faster.
final scientific explanation on sea lamprey and trout
The sea lamprey caused a decline in the trout population.
If you look at structures of a trout, you would see a small fish with not very sharp teeth, the structure of the mouth is to get food near the surface of the water and would be considered as prey. If you look at the structures of sea lamprey, you will see a big snake-like fish with a big mouth, sharp teeth, the structure of its mouth is for sucking the blood out of a fish and is considered as a predator. This is important because their prey is the trout. The fisherman has also been complaining about very little trout population in the great lakes. Plus, even if they did find one, it would be dead with deep scratches on its body and a huge hole going through the trout.
The reason why the sea lamprey is declining the trout population is that when the sea lamprey came to lake Michigan in 1938, they seem to have overpopulated the trout because the sea lamprey is an invasive species. According to reading 5.2, Fisherman also thinks that the trout moved to colder deeper water due to the overpopulation. Also, the reason why the sea lamprey caused a decline in the trout population is that according to a video our teacher showed us, the food web can get uneven when new organisms enter the ecosystem. Lake trout is one of the most common thing eaten in the Great Lakes. When the sea lamprey invaded, they became top of the food web because they were killing everything.
Finally, another reason why the sea lamprey caused a decline in the trout population is that a female sea lamprey lays about 60,000 eggs to 100,000 eggs. Compared to a female trout, they lay about 500 eggs to 800 eggs that mean the sea lamprey are overpopulating the trout. This indicates that the sea lamprey is declining the trout population.
One Word Goal – 2019
Write your one-word goal in both English and Hebrew.
eat and I can’t put in the Hebrew
Below the word, write 2 to 3 sentences about why you chose that word for your 2019 goal
I chose this because sometimes I don’t eat that much. I also chose this because it’s from one of my favorite animations and I really like the message
dissection reflection
- What is the value of dissecting?
to learn about the functions of the body
- How did the dissection help you understand what is happening between the sea lamprey and the trout?
that the sea lamprey is consuming all the trout because the sea lamprey has an advantage
- How did you feel about dissection? If you enjoyed the process, why did you enjoy it? If you did not enjoy it, what was difficult about it I honestly just couldn’t do it because I’m non-pescetarian but I’m glad other people had fun.
My Prior Knowledge of What an Invasive Species Is
What do you think invasive species means?
species who invade other animals
What does it mean to invade something?
to attack someone’s land
Can animals invade?
yes because for example, a wolf can attack a bunny’s borrow
What about plants?
yes because they can multiply and grow everywhere
How might invasive species affect other organisms in their environment?
the species being invaded could decrease