Month: November 2013

The Keystone XL pipeline is a pipeline system that transports synthetic crude oil from Canada to the to the Gulf of Mexico. The project needs to cross international borders; therefore, in order for it to be done they need to get approval from some countries. One of these countries is the United State, where the project will bring energy security and economy strength to them. The Keystone XL pipeline will allow both Canadiens and Americans oil producers to more access to the oil refining market. Also, the project will help to reduce the U.S dependence on oil from Venezuela and the Middle East by 40 percent.

 

However, this pipeline system is facing criticism from environmentalists. Although the project will provide more jobs, deliver $800,000 or more a year and rise the economy, it has some negative effects. Any leak from these pipelines will cause a huge damages. If the oil leaked into the water and the ground, it will affect the environment and the farming operation. On the other side, the Keystone XL pipeline routes will help to ship 25 percent of the oil through the pipelines, which is less expensive.

 

 

http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-project/

 

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/16/130916fa_fact_lizza

 

http://www.omaha.com/article/20121204/NEWS/121209837/1707

 

Falling Objects Experiment

 

Purpose:

The purpose of the experiment is to study the velocities of two different falling objects and see if they accelerate at the same rate or not. Also, we will look at air resistance and what impact can cause on the object’s velocity.

 

Hypothesis:

We would think if we drop two objects of different weight from the same height the heavier object would fall faster than the lighter object, right? The experiment will explore if that is true or not, if not then we will look at the reasons behind that.

 

Experimental Variables:

Independent variable: “Object Weight” we will change the object’s weight every time we drop an object.

Dependent variable: “Velocity” we will look at how the velocity of the two objects will change when changing the object’s weight.

 

Controlled Variable:

The controlled variable will be gravity, as we know earth gravity cannot be changed. Objects have gravity all time and this force pulls objects to the center of the earth.

 

Materials:

The materials needed for the experiment are two objects of different weights, motion detector or NXT with two light sensors and a labview “photogate_sensor”.

 

Procedure:

1) Place the two light sensors on a holder, the distance between the sensors we used was 38cm.

2) Connect the sensors to the NXT.

3) Connect the NXT to the computer and download your program.

4) Place the object you want to drop a few centimeters above the first sensor.

5) Press run on the NXT and drop the object.

6) Collect the data for the velocity and the time the objet took to hit the ground.

 

Measurements/Observations:

Book Velocity: 196.89 m/s

Paper Velocity: 114.11 m/s

It’s obvious from the data we collected that the velocity of the book is bigger. When we drop an object there are two things we look at, weight and air resistance. The result we found was that air resistance is proportional to the velocity. The more the mass, the higher the air resistance will be.

 

Demand response is a program used by some electric grids that allows consumers to help in reducing the electricity used at the peak times of the day. It is designed to respond to the peak demand periods fiscally and environmentally. The energy saved can be reused when natural disaster occurs. Most power plants offer financial incentive for consumers and businesses who participate in reducing electricity usage when the demand is high. Demand response does not only help in saving money but also it has some positive benefits serving the environment. This technology transfers power from one source to another and lower the power consumed. This has a big role in reducing pollutants that affect the environment such as greenhouse gases. Demand response is a good way for us to take an action towards energy consumption. It is basically telling the people that they are using electrical devices at the peak hours. However, if they waited for a few hours the demand will be less. Next time you want to use an electrical device look at the clock, is it a peak time?

 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm

 

http://www.pge.com/en/mybusiness/save/energymanagement/whatisdr/index.page

 

http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.library.law.suffolk.edu/science/article/pii/S0301421513004539

 

In our first meeting for the final project, we had a long discussion on what experiment would be the most interesting for high school students. The choices varied between us but finally we agreed on doing the falling objects experiment. The experiment shows how two objects fall differently and how we can relate it to energy and sustainability. Air resistance is an important factor in the experiment because it can affect the rate of the object fall. Also, we will look at the velocities of two different objects. We hope the students find this experiment informative and interesting to watch.

In this lab, we looked at the relationship between the voltage and light intensity using solar cell. For the experiment we used solar cell, voltage probe, NXT adapter, NXT with light sensor, light source, ruler and colored filters. A solarlab view also was used to measure the voltage and the light intensity of the solar cells.

In the first part, we studied the relationship between the voltage and the light. First, we measured the voltage of the solar panel with no light. Then we used the ruler to place the light source at different distance from the solar panel. This gave us the difference in the voltage generated. After getting the data, we calculated the average of the numbers we got to draw the graph. The result was, as we increase the distance between the light and the solar panel, the voltage will decrease. The table below shows the data we got and the graph demonstrate the relationship between the light intensity and voltage.

 

 

The second part was to look at the relationship between the wavelength of light and the voltage of the solar cell. We held three different color filters in front of the solar panel and placed the light source at the same distance. After we found the data, we calculated the average to demonstrate the relationship in the graph. The result we noticed was without using the color filter the voltage generated was higher. This is true because there were no barrier that prevent the light waves from coming through. From the three filters colored the green one produced more voltage. Below is the data selected and the graph of this relationship.

 

The Museum of Science is an amazing place to visit, you will learn a lot of cool things in a great and fun way. The most interesting things we looked at are the wind and solar energy sections. The wind energy is basically one of the renewable energy sources that has no bad effects on the environment. Wind energy is clean, free and can be found in most places. The museum actually uses wind tribunes to produce electricity. When the tribunes produce more energy than the museum need, other utilities buy these extra energy. Also, the wind turbine lab gives live data to the exhibit “Catching the Wnd” where the visitors can see and learn about this energy technology.

 

The museum also uses the solar energy to produce electricity to the theater. At the museum roof, there are photovoltaics, or solar panels, that use the sunlight to generate electricity. As the sunlight hit the cells, some of the light is absorbed by materials called semiconductors. This material makes the negative electric charges to flow into the surface of the cells. Then the charges will flow in one direction, as the cell was designed, to produce electricity. This source of energy is very important because it uses natural source and use it to serve the human needs.