BLOG POST: Robotics Activity Reflection
Building Our Robot
The beginning of this assignment was a bit hectic because we couldn’t find all of the parts we needed, but it was also a lot of fun! It’s not often that classes offer this kind of hands-on learning experience, so it was something different. Coming from the business school, I don’t usually work with my hands to actually put things together.
This was also a good time for Rebecca and I to become more acquainted with each other, and build a working relationship that was definitely useful as we moved forward into the data collection process. We both come from degrees that are completely unrelated to science, and were a bit intimidated by the assignment. Being able to laugh about that together broke the ice!
Data Collection
Data collection seemed to go very well for us. The computer data was used to calculate velocity, which was distance/time. This was compared to the recorded data, where distance was measured using a ruler and a piece of tape. Following that measurement, we calculated our velocity.
The two distance measurements (computer v. ruler) allowed us to analyze our margin of error. Our margin of errors, which are depicted in a bar graph below, all remained very low. Furthermore, the margin of errors were fairly consistent for each of the different powers and speeds.
Computer Data
| Power level/time | # of wheel turns | Distance measured (m) | Velocity (m/s) |
| 25 PWR, 2 Seconds | 0.941667 | 0.160083 | 0.0800417 |
| 25 PWR, 2 Seconds | 0.963889 | 0.163861 | 0.0819306 |
| 25 PWR, 2 Seconds | 0.969444 | 0.164806 | 0.0824028 |
| 50 PWR, 4 Seconds | 4.322222 | 0.734778 | 0.184757 |
| 50 PWR, 4 Seconds | 4.34722 | 0.739028 | 0.184757 |
| 50 PWR, 4 Seconds | 4.38333 | 0.745167 | 0.186292 |
| 60 PWR, 6 Seconds | 8.11389 | 1.37936 | 0.229894 |
| 60 PWR, 6 Seconds | 8.10833 | 1.37842 | 0.229736 |
| 60 PWR, 6 Seconds | 8.14167 | 1.38408 | 0.230681 |
Our Data
| Power level/Time | Distance measured (m) | Velocity (m/s) |
| 25 PWR, 2 Seconds | 0.17 | 0.085 |
| 25 PWR, 2 Seconds | 0.171 | 0.0855 |
| 25 PWR, 2 Seconds | 0.171 | 0.0855 |
| 50 PWR, 4 Seconds | 0.741 | 0.185 |
| 50 PWR, 4 Seconds | 0.742 | 0.186 |
| 50 PWR, 4 Seconds | 0.751 | 0.188 |
| 60 PWR, 6 Seconds | 1.40 | 0.233 |
| 60 PWR, 6 Seconds | 1.39 | 0.2317 |
| 60 PWR, 6 Seconds | 1.42 | 0.2367 |
The first three trials had considerably higher error percentages, but this is because the time (2 seconds) and power (25) were much lower when compared to the second and third sets of trials. For the second trial, we used a power of 50 with 4 seconds, and for the third trial we used a power of 60 and 6 seconds. After the first trial, where the distance traveled was much lower, the margin of error declined.
To calculate margin of error, we used the class formula of the difference between the computer and measured data divided by the average of the two. Following that, we multiplied the value by 100 to get the percentage error.
Overall Experience
This was a really interesting way to learn about speed/velocity and acceleration. While it’s less formula intensive than a typical class exercise would be, it was also more memorable. The robot and the data collection were a good combination to re-enforce the class material.
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