The project
The goal of this project was to find a way to convert one form of energy to another useful form of energy. The main form of energy to be converted into one that we could use for another purpose was chemical energy. Some options we could choose from (but were not limited to) were electrical, light, sound, thermal, kinetic, and elastic energy. The choice my group made was to turn chemical energy into electrical energy.
In the early stages of planning, my group was ambitious. We decided to attempt to make a battery by using copper coins and cardboard. This did not work however because it was a difficult and precise design to pull off and all of the materials needed were not readily available. Instead of continuing to develop our original model, we decided to make a lemon battery. We went through a number of trials to create an effective battery using lemons, copper, and zinc. Our main goal was to use this battery to charge a phone, however we did not achieve a high enough energy output to do so. We used our battery to power an LED light with the electricity that it produced.
Below are the slideshow that was presented on our project as well as the proof of efficacy document I created giving a deeper understanding of the project:
In the early stages of planning, my group was ambitious. We decided to attempt to make a battery by using copper coins and cardboard. This did not work however because it was a difficult and precise design to pull off and all of the materials needed were not readily available. Instead of continuing to develop our original model, we decided to make a lemon battery. We went through a number of trials to create an effective battery using lemons, copper, and zinc. Our main goal was to use this battery to charge a phone, however we did not achieve a high enough energy output to do so. We used our battery to power an LED light with the electricity that it produced.
Below are the slideshow that was presented on our project as well as the proof of efficacy document I created giving a deeper understanding of the project:
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Reflection
Overall, this was a successful project in that i greatly furthered my learning and experience with energy transfers. As a result of our numerous trials with our design, the most efficient model was able to produce 8.6 volts and power an LED light. We came across many challenges as a group but were able to overcome them and produce an effective form of energy transfer. One of the biggest issues that we faced during this project was our understanding of conducting electricity and setting up the wiring required to ensure a working battery. We did research on different ways to wire our battery and tried different methods in order to find the most effective system for our design. One other problem that my group faced was managing time efficiently. We did get our battery done and with many trials to get a gauge on what was the best design, but we could have furthered our design even more than we did if we decided to be more efficient with the time given to us.
During this project, the group had no issue communicating with each other. This gave us the opportunity to work faster when we were working on our project and get more trials in so that we could be sure we had the best design in the end. Another area that the group thrived in was empathy. Any ideas presented to the group were considered by all members and worked on to try to help improve the quality of our project.
During this project, the group had no issue communicating with each other. This gave us the opportunity to work faster when we were working on our project and get more trials in so that we could be sure we had the best design in the end. Another area that the group thrived in was empathy. Any ideas presented to the group were considered by all members and worked on to try to help improve the quality of our project.