Term Four
This term started with a seemingly difficult challenge: to transform a piece of raw material into a single word. My word, CANADA, started by sketched into 3"X6" letters on the plan of wood, twice. They were then cut out carefully, and glued to their respective letter. For the holes in the A's, I used the drill press. I painted the CADA red and the NA white, then used some carefully arranged tape to paint on a maple leaf. Finally, I glued the whole thing together. The end product resembled the Canadian flag. Some feedback I recieved was to sand the edges, making it smoother. The project used a lot of the machines, and a lot of paint, it taught me how to calculate the exact cost of manufactured products. I f I were to do it again, I would choose a different word, just to see how it would turn out.
Our penultimate project of the year would be to do as the wright brothers did: construct an air foil. We were given an example and to replicate. We designed a wing onto white foam board, and cut it out five times. Next, we glued these pieces of the wing to eleven inch planks of foam board. Finally, we covered it in paper and tested its flight. My first design was a failure, and my second design seemed to be a failure, too. But, following some advice, I altered the position of the holes, which perfected the wing. The project taught me about air resistance and lift, and how planes flew. If I were to do the project again, I would see how long I could get the foil to stay airborne.
The last engineering and design project was to create a propellor. I obtained three 13" planks of wood, and drilled a hole through the center. I put them on an axle as I proceeded to glue them together. When they dried, the hand planer was put to work. After an exhaustive sanding, it was ready for a test. Aside from shaking a little, it worked perfectly. Mr. Ramos told me that equalizing the weight on each side would reduce shaking. It worked better after heavily sanding the heavier side. I learned from this project how propellors are designed for the fastest speed. If I were to do it again, I would make the bigger version, propellor #2.
Our penultimate project of the year would be to do as the wright brothers did: construct an air foil. We were given an example and to replicate. We designed a wing onto white foam board, and cut it out five times. Next, we glued these pieces of the wing to eleven inch planks of foam board. Finally, we covered it in paper and tested its flight. My first design was a failure, and my second design seemed to be a failure, too. But, following some advice, I altered the position of the holes, which perfected the wing. The project taught me about air resistance and lift, and how planes flew. If I were to do the project again, I would see how long I could get the foil to stay airborne.
The last engineering and design project was to create a propellor. I obtained three 13" planks of wood, and drilled a hole through the center. I put them on an axle as I proceeded to glue them together. When they dried, the hand planer was put to work. After an exhaustive sanding, it was ready for a test. Aside from shaking a little, it worked perfectly. Mr. Ramos told me that equalizing the weight on each side would reduce shaking. It worked better after heavily sanding the heavier side. I learned from this project how propellors are designed for the fastest speed. If I were to do it again, I would make the bigger version, propellor #2.