Monthly Archives: October 2015

Pandora’s Promise

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Pandora’s Promise is a very interesting documentary that explores the view of various environmental activists on nuclear reactors. The documentary investigates and dismantles various myths about nuclear reactors that have led the majority of society to have a negative view of nuclear reactors. The film began with environmental activities stating why they used to think that nuclear energy was unsafe but over time they came into realization that nuclear energy was actually advantageous regardless of all the bad myths said about this renewable energy. The documentary explores 3 events that instilled a bad image of nuclear power plants, which are Chernobyl, The Three Mile Island, and the most recent the Fukushima disaster. Before discussing these 3 disasters, the film listed some very interesting and eye opening facts of nuclear energy. Nuclear Energy has been discovered to be the 2nd most safest energy source. As stated by one of the Environmentalists, anyone who is against Nuclear Energy is a supporter of coal and oil fossil fuels, which are just as dangerous. It was also discussed how apiece of uranium the size of a thumb has enough energy to output the same energy as 5000 barrels of oil. Such an astonishing fact makes it very evident that nuclear energy has the ability of saving tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.

 

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The documentary begins breaking down each event starting with Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine. In 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded which resulted in a lot of radioactive particles being released into the atmosphere. The local community was forced to evacuate the area because it was contaminated with radioactive material. From the Chernobyl disaster less than 50 people died from radiation poisoning. Anti-Nuclear Energy activist have stated that millions of people have died as a result of the disaster, which in reality is a false accusation. It also important to understand that the current image of the local town around the Nuclear power plant is not a result of the radiation but of natural breakdown of the house materials. Some occupants of the local community decided to come back after the evacuation and start their lives again within the contaminated area. A priest of the community stated that he has been living there for the past 25 years and no one has died as a result of radiation contamination.

 

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In The Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor a meltdown resulted in the power plant shutting down. But unlike Chernobyl, the event was able to be contained within the building and not allow spreading of radiation. No one died nor got injured in this disaster. The cause of both the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl was an inadequate cooling system, which resulted in a meltdown and an explosion at Chernobyl. In the Fukushima disaster, the power plant’s cooling system was damaged as a result of an earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This resulted in radioactive materials being released into the atmosphere.

 

Most of disasters of Nuclear Power Plants have been a result of bad design to contain any disasters that could happen. After the documentary finalized its breakdown of each of the three disaster it switched gears to France to demonstrate how Nuclear Energy can be used to produce the majority of the electricity being consumed in a country. 80% of France’s electricity comes from Nuclear Energy, and they are doing so good that they even sell their electricity to other European countries. Although a Nuclear Power Plant has a big upfront cost we must thing about the long term investment and realize that these power plant has the ability to produce electricity for 60, 80, or even 100 years! What makes nuclear energy more renewable than every other source is due to the fact that you can use the waste of nuclear power plants to be put into a 4th generation reactor (which still isn’t fully developed) and keep reusing the waste.

 

This documentary is full of fascinating facts that without a doubt dispel a lot of the negative images of nuclear plants. I highly recommend this documentary to any reader who is interested in having a more complete image of nuclear energy. The information and 1st person testimonies of environmental activists provided in this documentary allowed the watchers experience to be quiet immersive and enjoyable.

Initiatives to Mars

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Mars has always been one of the main planets that society has been fascinated by since its discovery. We have made many discoveries and continually keep learning more about the Red planet. As technological innovations improved, scientists and engineers have worked together to design semi-autonomous systems that would go to Mars and take atmospheric observations such as the composition of the planet through the use of satellites like Mars Odyssey and Mars Express. Also, there are rovers such as Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory aka “MSL”) and the Opportunity rover. These rovers have served as our geologists in the planet Mars. We have used all the data collected from satellites and the rovers to better understand how the human species can flourish in the Red Planet and how we can better prepare ourselves for a permanent shelter in Mars.

 

Luckily, there are 3 main aerospace companies who have taken the challenge and are currently working towards getting humans to the Red planet as soon as possible. The first initiative to attempt to get humans to Mars is by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). NASA has a lot of expertise in terms of space exploration because they have been the only agency in the US to land anything in another planet. The problem with NASA currently is the lack of funding from the federal government. NASA’s plan to land a human on Mars is “affordable with the right partnerships (international, commercial/industrial, intergovernmental, etc.)” (Kramer). NASA needs more financial help in order to complete their biggest missions. NASA plans to use the Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (which is still being tested) to transport astronauts from Earth to Mars.

 

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The next big contender in this new space race to Mars is SpaceX. SpaceX is a new private aerospace company that has succeeded with many rocket launches to Low Earth Orbit. In contrast to NASA, SpaceX is not being affected by a limit in their budget. The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, “spoke about SpaceX going public on the stock market — perhaps to raise the necessary funds” (Anthony). SpaceX is thinking of using their Falcon Heavy Launch Rocket to give their spacecraft a good of momentum to cruise through empty space rapidly between the Earth and Mars. SpaceX doesn’t have any experience in landing any manmade object on another planet or moon but their prior success in other missions makes them very likely of accomplishing their goal to colonize Mars.

 

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The most daring initiative is by Mars One thus far. Mars One plans on settling a permanent settlement on Mars. They intend on sending a small group of humans on a one way trip to the Red planet. The biggest problem I see with Mars One is that they don’t truly have any experience at all in the Aerospace field. Mars One has never launched a rocket nor has collaborated with another agency on a project. Mars One intends to make money for this task by creating a Reality TV show out of the humans that are settled in Mars. As Mars One states, “Mars One is not an aerospace company. Therefore, the required systems are to be designed and built by established aerospace companies with relevant experience” (Mars One). The honest truth is that not many aerospace companies are up for such a daunting task. They will put their reputation on the line by using systems that have never been truly tested on Mars and at the same time Humans will be heavily dependent on them. Another problem is that Mars One does realize “we don’t have [the] to technology to pull it off yet” (Dickerson). Technology improves gradually, so it is going to take a few years for aerospace technology to allow space travel to Mars to be more easy and more cost efficient.

 

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Throughout all projects regardless of location many factors become a problem immediately. All companies must take into consideration, food supply, how to filter and provide a continuous flow of breathable air, and how to protect astronauts from radiation. On a voyage to Mars, all these factors become an extremely big problem due to the length of the voyage, which is about 200 days in outer space. While each company is taking a slightly different approach of how to get humans to Mars, I’m confident that each company will eventually reach the Red Planet but I don’t think many will stick to their projected timeline.

 

References:

Anthony, Sebastian. “SpaceX Says It Will Put Humans on Mars by 2026, Almost 10 Years Ahead of NASA.” ExtremeTech. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Dickerson, Kelly. “Two MIT Students Just Schooled a Company Trying to Send People to Mars.” Tech Insider. N.p., 21 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015

Kramer, Miriam. “Manned Mission to Mars By 2030s Is Really Possible, Experts Say | Space.com.” Space. N.p., 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
“About Mars One – Mars One.” Mars One. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Mass-Pulley Experiment

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Newton’s Three Laws of Motion have revolutionized the way we describe the relationship between force and motion. His Three Laws of Motion can be applied to everything in our world and they will all confirm his theories. During our past lectures we decided to test the accuracy of Newton’s Second Law of Motion. His second Law states that , The Force (measured in Newtons) is equal to an objects mass times its acceleration (measured in Kg and m/s2 respectfully). We used a Lego robot motor to lift a small weight that was attached to a string that was placed on a pulley. Once again we used the Labview programming software with prewritten code. Down below you can see the physical setup of the experiment and a copy of the code that we executed.

 

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For the first experiment, we kept the power level fixed at 75 and we changed the mass on each trial in order to conclude how acceleration is affected by these two variables.

 

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By analyzing the data and the graph we can come to the conclusion that if force is fixed and the mass is increased it will result in the acceleration being decreased. This is because mass and acceleration are inversely proportional. As one is increased the other one has to decrease under the assumption that the force is fixed.

 

For the second experiment we took a similar approach to the first experiment except were keeping the mass fixed at one value for all trials. For all three trials we kept the mass at 0.17 Kg and we changed the power level, which we were considering as our force variable.

 

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As demonstrated in the graph and in the data points, if we keep the mass fixed, the power level increases as the force is increased. Force and acceleration are directly proportional, so as one increases the other must increase as well. This can also be seen in the graph by the linear trend line that goes very close to each data point.

 

For the next two experiments we decided to focus around the Laws of Conservation of Energy. We measured the height that the motor would have to lift the mass to and estimated the potential energy of all our trials throughout the whole experiment.

 

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After measuring the height, and calculating the Potential Energy we decided to investigate the relationship between mass and battery discharge while keeping the power level fixed. While keeping the power level fixed at 75 we observed that as the mass is increased the battery discharge increases as well. Both variables are directly proportional.

 

For the last experiment we analyzed the relationship between Power level (Force) and Power (Watts). We calculated Power (Watts) by using the equation: Powerused = Potential Energy / Time.

 

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Looking at this graph we can conclude that Power Level (Force) and Power (Watts) are directly proportional. The greater the Power Level, the greater the Power used by Motor is. This relationship is so evident that our R2 value is 0.99966. The closer R2 is to 1, the better the best fit line accurately represents the data and their relationship.

 

In Conclusion, the Mass-Pulley Experiment was a greater way to see Newton’s Second Law of Motion and the Law of Conservation of Energy in action! This experiment is so closely related to Energy and Efficiency because Energy revolves very closely around Newton’s three Laws of Motion and Conservation of Energy. We all know that Energy cannot be destroyed or created, it just converts itself into heat or sound or other forms. One of the biggest problems is how to become more efficient by taking lost energy (that is another form) and capturing it and inputting it back into the system. As we saw by the experiments, an object needs a force in order to be put in motion and a heavier object needs just as much force. More force needs more watts (in mechanical systems) in order to operate. We must think of ways to use less power to output the same amount of force.

 

Suffolk Sawyer Library Visit

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On October 5th, we attended a tour around the Suffolk Sawyer Library, which is located on 73 Tremont St on the 2nd floor. The library is composed of three distinctive floors, each having their own unique sound level. The 2nd floor is the loudest mostly due to the traffic of students entering and leaving the library. The 3rd floor is a modest sound level. There are conversations but at a very low level. The 4th floor is considered the study floor since it is extremely quiet (the majority of times). The 2nd floor, being the main floor, has many services to provide to students. On the 2nd floor, you can find the circulation desk, the reference desk, printing stations, and photocopying/scanning stations. In the circulation desk students can rent out textbooks or electronic devices, such as a PC laptop or a Macbook), and even chargers for their electronic devices. At the reference desk, you can ask one of the librarians a question regarding how to research a topic. Adjacent to the reference desk you will find bookshelves full with reference books. This is the ideal place where any student should start their research for any topic. There are also study tables, and a lounge towards the back of the floor. The 3rd and 4th floor is made up of the same services except the circulation desk and the reference desk. Each floor has printing and photocopying/scanning stations, study rooms, study tables, lounges, and the obvious books, many books!

 

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After our tutor guide, Lindsey finished discussing the layout of the library and the many services available to students she walked us to a big computer lab on the 3rd floor of the library. In the computer lab, she demonstrated how we could access many of the data from the library via the Suffolk Library online database. In this database, we have access to search for books, magazines, articles, eJournals and more. When searching for information we can search the topic but we will get thousands of results due to the great depth of the online database. As a result we can filter our search to meet certain parameters. We can redefine our search by filtering by Source Type, Publisher, Geography, and more. This amazing feature allows us to narrow down on our topic and learn more in depth information rather than general information. If students cannot find sufficient information on their topic they can request the library to order journals and books from other institutions on their topic. In addition, the online database allows students to reserve study rooms throughout the 3 floors of the library.

 

It is evident that the Suffolk Sawyer Library is here to support all students throughout their four years at Suffolk University. In order to succeed, all students should take advantage of all the resources that the Suffolk Sawyer Library provides.

Saquib Butt’s Presentation

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On October 1st, Saquib Butt, a Suffolk EE Alumni, came in and gave us a presentation of his work with photovoltaic at Boston Scientific, where he currently works. Boston Scientific is not an engineering firm instead it’s a medical equipment company. He has the role of project manager at the company, where he oversees large-scale projects and figures out the logistics of various project. His most recent project involved the installation of solar panels throughout the whole MLB campus of Boston Scientific. Through this initiative the company was able to save slightly more than 30% on energy and reduced their carbon footprint on the environment. As he stated the cost of everything was free since the installers picked up the bill. The installers would receive state and federal grants as a result and Boston Scientific would receive Carbon Tax Reductions from the government when doing their taxes. The company would begin to see the benefits of this installation appear in a few years when their energy consumption truly decreases. Saquib Butt also talked about his prior project on solar panels on a different building. As you can see in the picture only the left side of the building is covered with solar panels as of right now. He stated that it is important to have photovoltaic cells point south because it would absorb the most sunlight. All the panels are at a slight angle, which solves the problem of snow accumulation during the winter. The angle would cause gravity to pull the snow down and photovoltaic cells produce a small amount of heat that would melt a thin layer of snow. He told us that Boston Scientific is thinking about installing solar panels on the right side of the building as well since there is a lot of surface area to mount solar panels.

 

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After his presentation, we had a Q & A session and we received a few tips on college, internships, getting a job. He believed that it is vital to do internships in order to expose your self to a true engineering environment. In these internships we have the opportunity to network and make good connections with future employers. In addition, we have the chance to apply the concepts we have learned in the class to real world problems. He also connected to us in a personal way by saying that their were times during college that he didn’t know what he was doing or never he understand the material, but its vital to keep working hard. In conclusion, his presentation was informative and full of important advice.

Tom Vales’ Presentation

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Engineering is based on the idea that we can create inventions that are either just cool to display or creating inventions that benefit our society. But what is most important to some is the act of reverse engineering and fingering out how things actually work. This is exactly what our presenter Tom Vales did with a few of his inventions. He took old inventions and modernized them and presented his updated product to the class. He presented to us the Mendocino Motor, Rocking Armature Motor, and the Stirling Engine, which he recreated. He also showed us his home made Tesla Coil and a Violet Ray Machine.

 

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The first cool gadget he presented to us was the Mendocino motor. The wooden base is composed of 5 magnets. Four of which are used for levitating the actual shaft, which has 2 magnets on it. The center magnet gives the rotor the magnetic field it needs in order to fully function. On the shaft there are 4 small solar cells on located on the sides of the coil. When the light hits the solar cell the rotor rotates approximately 90 degrees. Since the light source is beaming the solar cells continuously the rotor keeps spinning. As Tom Vales explained, this cool gadget doesn’t have any real application in the real world because if anything were to be connected to it, it would result in the rotor being unbalanced and making contact with the other parts.

 

 

The second item he demoed was the Rocking Armature motor. When he switched a flip, the arm would extended and retract constantly. During this motion, the arm was connected to a wheel, which resulted in the wheel spinning. This motion was maintained by a battery that provided the necessary current in order to make it functional.

 

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The third item he presented to us was the Sterling Engine, which runs of steam. He filled the coffee cup with hot water since it releases some steam and placed the sterling engine above it. The steam would lift up a small weight and then drop it continuously. This resulted in the wheel spinning continuously with only a small percentage of the energy lost. Energy is so well conserved because the coefficient of friction between the weight and the “glass” covering is very low.

 

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One of the most interesting things he showed us was the violet ray machine, which was known to supposedly cure all diseases. People thought that through the use of this machine and placing it in the infected body part it would resolve the problem. They had many different shaped inserts for the violet ray machine which was suppose to be used based on the body part that was going to be healed.

 

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My favorite presentation of the day was his homemade Tesla Coil. The tesla coil is named after Nikola Tesla who was an extraordinary inventor. He developed AC current, wireless transmission and more! The way the tesla coil worked was by increasing the voltage out of the wall socket and passing that current through the coil. At the top of the bucket their was a needle which released small strings of lightening. With this small electricity in the air, Tom Vales was able to turn on various fluorescent tubes through the wireless transmission of that electricity. The fluorescent tubes were filled with different noble gases which resulted in the tube lighting up in different colors. These lights did not have to make contact with the coil to turn on. Once they were in close proximity of the tesla coil they would light up.