TCF Final Blog

This Could Fail (TCF) is a class where I explored my creativity and really thought hard to where I am now in this project. In the first classes, my classmates and I jotted some ideas that could potentially be our project that we are doing, and that we will work on for the remaining of the school year, which really brought butterflies into my belly.

Photo by Doron Ben Avarham

The idea that I came up with popped out from my head in a weird way. When we were writing down ideas on a piece paper, I just looked up to the ceiling and stared at it for around 2-3 minutes. After that moment, it made me think, which gave me the idea. I was like 'wouldn't be cool if the lights move without YOU moving the light yourself'. My idea is simple, it is basically a light that can be moved without you touching the light. And you are able to do that with a method called a controller, which can be used anytime and anywhere. 

The purpose of this project is to help people that are in disability to move the light where they want it to, and this product can make things easier for them. 

Drawing board before I started:

I chose to this project because I enjoy doing this kind of stuff during my free time, which means that I am always focused when I am working on my project. And rarely I get bored from electrical components. Also I love having to deal with wires and things that includes energy and how that transfers from a certain place to another. That's why I chose this project, it always keeps me occupied every time.

Throughout the weeks I've been working on this project, I learned many things about this certain topic. I learned that a switch in a simple circuit needs to have the ability to connect each and every wire that is in the circuit. I also learned that if you have wires you need to cut out, it is best to use specific tools so it is easier for you. I learned that you really need to be patient about everything when you are working, because things needs to be perfect and if not sometimes it won't work and it won't go to your favor in the end. Also wires are a pain to put together, because that is what I learned from experiencing broken wire during the the project.

I learn many things about myself as a person throughout this meaningful project that we started about 2 months ago. Some of the things I learned about myself really brought my mind into the mind that I was trying to find in the years I've been in MS. And the moment I came to 6th grade, I was just a caterpillar awaiting to become a butterfly. In my opinion I think I am in a point where the caterpillar is beginning to form into a cocoon. One thing that I learned, is that I noticed that it takes a lot for me to get to a point where I am really frustrated at some things. Also my patience has been  growing ever since, and I hope when I move on to High school and to college. As of right now, I will keep learning new things about myself and always improve on things that I can improve on.

Physics Project Reflection #2

We are 1 week into this project and we are discovering many things on the way, everyday. The ending of our first road of the roller coaster, we discovered that the first hill didn't have enough potential energy and transform that to kinetic energy to go over the hills after that. That was one example that we experience on less energy on our coaster.

Screenshot by me From BrainPop App

Newtons First Law states that things at motion will stay at motion unless an unbalanced force is acted upon it, but that is just the other half  of it. In our coaster we have several places where this law comes to play big time. The biggest effect is when the coaster changes direction underneath. One part of  the coaster, that it turns back, but under and with the first law in effect the marble will just fly out in that same direction where it is heading. One thing that has been frustrating for us is being able to cope to partially restart our project, because we were breaking the limits of this project, and so we decided to start over and made a secondary plan that we can look up from. Also, being able to make the turn from a higher height to a lower height was frustrating me, though in the end we were able to use physics and make it work. The progress element of this, has been really good. We are finishing off the 1st and 2nd road, which makes us start the last road. After that we are planning to focusing on decorating the surroundings of the coaster. One thing that seems cool in our project that we can use two marbles and start them at the same time, and see the two differences of energy changes and how things work in a coaster. 

Two classes before it was started over:

This the picture before class after the change:

After class Today:

TCF #3

It's been 2 weeks into this project now, and I am encountering some problems on the way now. One of the problems that is messing with me, is that the wires that makes the car work snapped off. I realized it was snapped the moment I came into to class today. This make it more hard for me because since the wire is quite narrow in the end it is going to be a pain putting it back together to make the car work again.
Since the car is partially broken already I can learn from this in the future because I don't think I was careful enough of my prototype and maybe that's why it broke off, and I'll be more careful so I won't be in a situation like this again. This incident happen too when I was in a summer program in Indonesia, 2 of the wires that made the machine work, snapped off and I had to bring them back together. Right now I extended the base of the light, so it has even more space to move, and this weekend I will try and get the cables and lightings for the prototype and start playing around with them until it works out for me.

Extended Base prototype:

Screenshot by Me

Broken Wire:

TCF #5

This is the 5th week of the project and I am at the point where everything is done and we just need some finishing touches to the prototype. I achieved my goal that I stetted last week which is to buy batteries for the lights, so the lights stayed consistent. Throughout this week I struggled on putting the battery on to the car. Plus, I was trying to put the wires and attaching it to the battery which didn't really work out as I expected. I was again frustrated as usually because of this. From the first few blogs I did, I think I improved on my patience  a lot. Now I am able to handle it in a good way, unlike last time where I went out of the class to get some air. I think from this week I learned that me as a learner, I knew that I could achieve things that I didn't think I could do in the start. This made me think that I shouldn't doubt myself whenever I think I am. This can help me in the future so I can reach my goals when I get older. When I was in 7th grade, we did a project for health, my goal project was to build 8 Lego models over 4 weeks. When first started I didn't think i could do it, since I had other work interfering with the project. In the end, I accomplished the goal and I was proud of myself on doing it. In order to keep moving forward, on the 23rd of May, I am going to do some final touches to complete the project.

Physics Project Reflection #1

In science we our starting a whole new project and this time, we are going into roller coasters. We are creating roller coasters that represents the science of physics and we are showing it by building a roller coaster to see we have stored. My vision for our roller coasters is that, I want a roller coaster that is able to switch lanes, 3 different lanes, and each of the lane is a different kind of track. One of our block roads today was tying to make our first loop, in the beginning we struggle and then we had the idea to use the milk bottle and fill it up with water to help support the weight of the rubber.

Next class, we are hoping to finsih the first lane and starting to build the 2 and if we are lucky enough, we will start the 3rd and last lane of the roller coaster.

Before we started:

After class:

TCF #4

Since the last post that I posted, I  finished off the final structure of the car that included the battery pack and the lights attached to it. I have to admit that during the process on making it I was frustrated for most of the time. When I was putting the switch together with the wires, it always popped out the moment I looked at it. I had to go out of the MSLC (the place we work) 2 times because I needed a break on all the wires that was holding me back. Another thing was that, every time I wanted to cut the rubbery part of the wires, it ended up cutting the whole thing off which really messed up my mind through the 2 classes I worked on the car.

Photo by me

 I think this part of the project  tested my sense of patience not only technically with the wiring work but also mentally. I could see that I wasn't that patience, having to go out of the MSLC cause of it. I think for the future this could help me a lot when I do similar things or activities like this one. One time in 6th grade, we were making a colony, and that project connected with this one because the fact that both of them made me frustrated. I had to wait for a week to get something and the project was due was by then which made me stressed about it, but in the end I was able to complete it.  At the moment I am going to test my project and I have attach two more batteries so there is more light coming through. I have to get that done by the middle of next class which is one the May 15th, after that I'll see any changed that I have to do so I can fulfill the purpose of my project. I hope by the end of this I can keep on learning stuff that will benefit me in the future and the present. 

Photo by me