Month: April 2016

Earlier this semester we realized an experiment that involved shaking.

Through the experiment, we performed multiple tasks that surrounded the concepts and most notably the relationships between electromagnetic flux and Voltage. To tackle the experiment, we needed several items which consisted of :

Flashlight (Composed of magnet and coil)
NXT
NXT Adaptor
Labview VI
Process:

We started the habitual Labview software, later we attached the metal part of the flashlight’s coil wire to the voltage probe.
Subsequently connected the NXT to the Computer. We were then instructed to vigorously agitate the flashlight in a 30s interim and to note the sum square of the voltages.
Shake object whilst registering number of shakes for accurate data
Calcutta using Microsoft Excel the Sum square of our new data
Repeat activity twice in order to further observe the data and it’s pattern.

Data recorded: 

 

Observations:

Initially, the magnet within the flashlight is at rest so there is no large fluctuations within the data. With the data being concurrently recorded, we observe that as we begin to shake the probe,it emits a superior amount of voltage. Faraday’s law also states that the voltage is directly proportional to the velocity with which the loop (magnet within flashlight) moves between the two regions. Therefore we can induce that the the difference between each recorded observation emanates from the inconsistency of the person agitating the object (human error). The amount of vigor and energy applied to the object directly affects the speed of the magnet which proportionally influences the sum of voltage recorded. Ultimately, we logically deduced that as our number of shakes increased, so did our sum square voltage.

This week, our whole class had the distinction of meeting Tom Vales, Lab coordinator for Suffolk University or in my own description; A zealous man for science.Typical to most presentations, I expected him to bring a powerpoint or the habitual slides which he would use to supply us with incessant information. He indeed informed us on many creations, their origins, creators and how they have evolved over the years but in contrast to other speakers his demonstration was in majority practical. Overall his presentation surrounded the concepts of: Voltage, power and energy.

As an object that is widely used in machines, he later went on to cover the Stirling engine. Invented by Robert Stirling in 1816, the Stirling engine has the potential to be much more efficient than a gasoline or diesel engine. Many factors might have contributed to the absence of this highly efficient motor in mass markets but it’s most contentiously known fault is that it was very unstable and delicate. The problem with steam engines is that they were very susceptible to explosion due to the high rising pressure of water built up within the engine. Also in the epoch it was created, steel materials were less strong as they are contemporarily.

He also introduced us to a fairly new type of object in the Mendocino motor which he brought to class to demonstrate it’s particularities. Unlike it’s peers the Mendocino did not use heat as a mean to operate. It possessed it’s own magnetic field and converted light into electricity and magnetism, which were then converted into the motion of the motor. An amazing bit of technology which in it’s creation were inserted the concepts electromagnetism, electric motors, solar power generation; various topics which we have covered in class.

He later discussed Nikola Tesla; a man whom Tom Vales was evidently fond of. Nikola Tesla was a brilliant serbian american inventor, most notably known for his contributions such as energy and electricity to the field of science. The AC system which was developed by Tesla is still the standard today— but after patents were filed in his name, other scientists came forward to take credit for the invention, claiming that they had laid the groundwork for him. His name was lost in the shuffle, and the public came to associate the invention with Westinghouse himself. Tesla may actually have been more brilliant than Thomas Edison but his name was far less known.

We later arrived to the most fascinatinating part of his presentation. (picture) This cylinder-shaped object was what he called a “wireless transmitter coil“. One of Nicolas Tesla’s many contribution to the field of science was the wireless transmission of energy. It allowed the transmission of electrical power from a power source to a consuming device without using solid wires or conductors. Conventionally this form of technology is not yet widely adopted but here we were in class using it. Tom vales demonstrated Tesla’s work by approaching a glass tube which contains some amount of Xenon Gas to the electricity generator. He later used multiple gadgets in repeatedly performed trials with the coil.

By and large, this was a very informative and original presentation. As a result, I know understand many concepts which were formerly unclear and perplexing, now interesting.

The Obama administration has proposed the most far-reaching climate change adaptation and mitigation measures ever put in place by U.S. President. The plan is to cut down power plant emissions, boosting the amount of wind and solar energy installations on public lands and buildings as the U.S looks to move into the future conscious of the effects of global warming.

Three main policies are included in the plan.The first addresses emissions of greenhouse gases, chiefly carbon dioxide (CO2), from new and existing power plants. This version of the Climate Action plan would place limits on greenhouse gas emissions from more than 1,000 existing coal-fired power plants for the first time ever. In addition, natural gas power plants would also be included.

Here is a Graph of the USA CO2 emissions:

 

The White House has mentioned that without additional measures to reduce carbon emissions from the electricity sector, continued emissions decreases are unlikely to occur by market forces alone. Their bill to limit at present power plants could benefit a continued drop in overall U.S. emissions.

The second track is to help the U.S to fight the climate change’s effects that are already taking place now. $8 billion available for fighting those changes and investing in new technology to limit the impact of those.

Lastly, the policy proposals include provisions to work with the international community to address global warming, both from an emissions reduction and climate adaptation standpoint. The climate action plan commits the U.S. to working with international partners to reduce the emissions of not only carbon emissions, but also non-carbon based greenhouse gases such as HFCs. HFCs are used as a refrigerant and is a powerful short-lived climate warming agent. According to Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, a phasedown of HFC emissions in the U.S. can deliver a quarter of the administration’s 2020 climate goal. According to a study being published on Wednesday, a global phaseout of HFC use during the early part of this century can avoid a half a degree Celsius in future warming by the end of the century.

Transportation emissions making up about 30% of U.S greenhouse gas emissions, with heavy-duty trucks being 20% of the total. The Obama administration has also looked to increase efficiency in vehicles by enacting the toughest passenger vehicle fuel efficiency standards in U.S. history. The administration has worked to enact post-2018 fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks, buses, and vans, by working with the auto industry.

Sources:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/image/president27sclimateactionplan.pdf

http://www.usclimatenetwork.org/policy/presidents-climate-action-plan

http://www.c2es.org/federal/obama-climate-plan-resources

http://www.c2es.org/federal/climate-plan-resources-funding

Friday March 11th, along  with my class mate we took a field trip to the Museum of Science to observe exhibits for enriching our knowledge about subjects that we are reviewing in  class. We were required to go by four specific stations of the museum that were named ” Catching the Wind” , “Conserve at Home”, “Energized!” and “Investigate!”.

Catching The Wind:

This section of the museum was all about wind and wind turbines. Wind power have been used for thousand of years for sail, grind graines and most recently to produce electricity.

The picture explains and details the functioning of wind turbines. The functioning was the same as we previously studied in class. As the wind turns the blades, the mechanical energy goes to the electric generator, which generate electricity for us to use. There are five wind turbines on the Museum’s roof, and one of them generates 2,218 kWh and saves 2,706 lbs. CO2 emissions annually.

Energized:

In this section we were shown where energy came from. Unfortunately, as we were promoting renewable energies, only 8% of energy came from them and 83% of our energy use was still account to fossil fuels.  Pros and cons were also debated at this section about different forms of energy.There were also some hand-on activities available to visitors, and on of them was that the visitors should power the city using combination of difference kind of energy without putting too much emission to our environment, to help the visitors to pictured how it works better.

Conserve @ Home:

This station was teaching us about the ways to conserve energy at home and at the same time saving money and protecting the environment by adopting some new routines to our daily life. An example of that was the use of LED light that don’t require too much energy to light up.

Investigate:

And to conclude the visit, I went to the Investigate station. In that station, they were explaining how toilet function and also investigating some myths such as the way water spiral down a drain and brought explanations to the phenomenon, making the so common “spinning of the earth dependent” false.

Conclusion:

After I was done with the 4 stations I took advantage to go all over the museum and discovered that I had an hidden passion for science hidden deep inside me. I will advise everyone to go to the museum a great source of info and fun situated in Boston.