For our class experiment, our group wanted to choose something creative and exciting. We decided to work with a slinky. Yes, a slinky! For our experiment, we are going to drop a slinky down three separate flights of stairs severaltimes.They will have the same surface, but different heights. We will measure the distance that it falls and the effect that the distance has on the slinky’s acceleration. For the second part of the experiment, we will determine whether or not the surface has an effect on the speed of the slinky. For example, will it fall slower down a carpeted staircase than it will down a cement staircase?

The idea behind the demand response theory is to have consumers reduce their demand for electricity which will then lead to the a less drastic response which will be much less of a toll on the grid.

“Electricity customers reduce their consumption at critical times or in response to market prices.^[1] The difference is that demand response mechanisms respond to explicit requests to shut off, whereas dynamic demand devices passively shut off when stress in the grid is sensed. Demand response can involve actually curtailing power used or by starting on site generation which may or may not be connected in parallel with the grid.^[2] This is a quite different concept from energy efficiency, which means using less power to perform the same tasks, on a continuous basis or whenever that task is performed. At the same time, demand response is a component of smart energy demand, which also includes energy efficiency, home and building energy management, distributed renewable resources, and electric vehicle charging.”

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand_response]

This approach is becoming more popular by the day. Certain companies are providing incentives to people who abide by the demand response regulations. Companies such as PG&E provide incentives to large corporations and business owners who lower their energy use during peak hours of energy use

. [[ http://www.pge.com/demandresponse/ ]]

I think this idea is a brilliant way to get companies to follow suit. Personally, it infuriates me when i see buildings left overnight with lights or signs on strictly for successful marketing tactics when they have no consideration or thought about what it is doing to our environment. It has become acceptable in American culture to use an unnecessary abundance of energy at all times without thinking about the consequences. Fortunately, our future generations are being taught to be more aware of this. Add campaigns are working hard to use relatable ideas so children actually understand that even small details can have an impact on our planet. For example, the commercials aired on Animal Planet that explain that every time you shut the water off while brushing your teeth,you save a few fish. Although this is a minor detail, it plays a huge part in the future success of the demand response.

During this lab, we used ourselves for energy! We learned about conducting electricity through Faraday’s Law of magnetic induction. We hooked up the flashlight ,which contained a magnet inside, to our labview and shook the light at different speeds to find out what happens to the amount of energy it produces. We found that the faster the magnet moved, the more energy was produced. 

Faraday’s Law: Electromagnetic induction is the production of an electric current across a conductor moving through a magnetic field. It underlies the operation of generators, transformers, induction motors, electric motors, synchronous motors, and solenoids.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_induction]]

It is unfortunate that although scientists are slowly discovering more ways to produce energy, people are not so open minded to the idea because they are so set in their ways of being highly stimulated using maximum amounts of energy at the moment they need it.

Energy sources such as wind turbines have proven to be an excellent source of energy. Although it is difficult to make this successful due to the idea that is not always windy, i think that science is on the right track with this discovery. I also think that people are going to have to get over the idea that they may not look so pretty. A majority of people who live in towns that object to the wind farms disagree with them because they are said to be an “eye sore”. Obviously at this point in time, and especially in the future, appearance will be the least of our worries.

The movie Contagion is based upon an idea that, to some, may seem outdated or unrealistic during this century with all of the medical advancements that our doctors have discovered. However, unfortunately for us, this issue is in fact very current. A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that quickly spreads across a large reason throughout the human population. The distance it spreads can range anywhere from regions to nations or even world wide. In order for to remain categorized as a pandemic, the number of people effected must continue to grow. If the disease is controlled and no longer spreads, it is not considered a pandemic.

These outbreaks can be seriously dangerous in no time. Sometimes they emerge without any signs of warning and before they discovered they have already spread. This is probably the most intense form of a pandemic and it is also the scariest. By the time doctors connect certain symptoms among patients in different parts of the nation who are suffering from he same types of sickness, it could be too late.

In the film, the main character, Mich Emhoff, played by Matt Damon, and his wife Beth, played by Gwenyth Paltrow, are average people going about their day-to-day lives without any idea about what is coming to them. Suddenly, Beth becomes infected when she travels on a business trip to China. The disease kills her within days. Medical specialists immediately begin their investigation once they realize that there is some kind of infection that is rapidly spreading. A possible cure is also posted in an online blog and news about this travels almost as quickly as the pandemic does. People immediately go insane, breaking into drug stores and trying to attain this drug that is said to be the cure.

It is a very realistic idea that a possible cure would cause havoc and mayhem among society. During the Swine flu outbreak, the Swine shot came out, prioritizing women and children. You could not find a doctors office that had appointments available to get the shot because so many people jumped to get it at once.

At first, I was very hesitant about this trip due to the fact that I did not know much about how a nuclear reactor works or what it is good for. Although the information was a bit overwhelming at first with all of the scientific terms, once we began to observe different parts of the reactor, it was much easier for me to learn about it.

I was very impressed with how careful and aware everyone was (obviously they have to be because they are working with very dangerous material). I also found it interesting that there is a constant record of each person entering and exiting the reactor.

I was extremely interested in some of the medical research that took place at the MIT reactor. It was interesting to hear about the cancer patients who volunteered for several of their radiation experiments. I also found it comforting to know that although the Fukushima disaster was devastating, other establishments with reactors are learning from their mistakes in order to make a stronger system. I also found it interesting that most of the reactors that are currently running in our country were only built to withstand a thirty year period and most have run far over their time. It us both unfortunate and unsettling that there are no plans that have been put into effect thus far as far as rebuilding is concerned.

Overall, the trip to the MIT reactor was very informative and I enjoyed learning about it.

At first, the idea of building a robot out of Legos seemed more like a simple, fun activity than a learning experience. I was pleasantly surprised once i discovered that this hands on activity would make it easier to understand the science behind power and how it effects the distance and velocity of which an object travels in various ways.

Once we finally figured out how to piece it all together, we began to calculate. We measured the circumference of the wheel in order to determine how many times it turned. From there, we were able to determine the velocity and distance that the robot traveled. We used three different power settings (75, 50, and 25). Each time the calculations were very different. As the power level decreased, the wheels turned less, causing the robot to travel a shorter distance each time.

Our calculations were very close to the calculations that the computer came up with.

Overall, this was a great hands on activity that I not only enjoyed but also learned from. Although the outcomes seemed obvious, it was interesting to watch the robot work based on our calculations.

The Tohoku Earthquake, which took place on March 11, 2011, sent Japan into a frenzy. Once of the most dangerous outcomes of this quake was the devastation it caused on the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant. While reading about the Fukushima disaster, I was completely in awe. It is terrifying to think about how quickly something so large can be completely destroyed. As if it was not enough of a scare that this gigantic plant practically melted away to nothing in a matter of hours, the effects that this incident had on the people of Japan were even more horrific.

Natural disasters are becoming more prevalent through out or world due to the significant changes in our atmosphere. This accident was deemed the largest nuclear disaster since 1986 (according to the International Business times, Australia). Unfortunately, it will not be the last that our world will see. Months have passed and the people of Japan are still struggling to recover the plant. The explosion released radioactive material and excessive amounts of heat.

Horrified and defeated, Tepko (the company that runs the Fukushima plant), lead by Banri Kaieda, the current minister, decided to remove all staff from the plant and let nature take its course. Naoto Kan, a Japanese politician and former minister, refused to give up on recovering the plant. In an article published on September 8th in The Guardian, Kan reported ” ‘It was truly a spine-chilling thought,’ he told the Tokyo Shimbun, adding that he foresaw a situation in which greater Tokyo’s 30 million people would have to be evacuated, a move that would ‘compromise the very existence of the Japanese nation’.” (Jason McCurry). The severity of the disaster has continued to be under exaggerated in order to ease the citizens of Tokyo. No one knows what the outcome will be. One can only hope that the decisions made by the people in power are truly in favor of what is best for the people of their nation.