On the 2nd week of messing around with our Robots, we calculated the Distance, Wheel turns and Velocity. In this activity we had to measure the distance and velocity of or robotic car by setting the wheels so that the car would go straight and with the help of a ruler determine the distance the wheels traveled and the speed at which our car traveled as well. The first step was to measure the diameter of the wheel of out car which was 5.5 cm.  Once we had the diameter, using a simple formula, we multiply the ratio of the wheel times PIE, and divided by the number of degrees the wheel had turned.  Our software gave us the actual rotation in degrees and the number of turns. Given that a complete turn is 360 degrees.The software also recorded the time it took to travel from point A to point B, which is the base of figuring the velocity of our car. The more turns, the further the car traveled.

Below are me & my partners results while testing out our Robotic car.

Circumference (Wheel diameter)(m)= 0.157

#wt= 3.25556

Distance=0.511122

Velocity=distance/time=0.511122

 

1^st Distance =0.49236

WT=3.16611

54 centimeters (.54 m) @75

Error= 9%

 

2^nd Distance=0.465331

WT=2.96389

46 centimeters (.46m) @69

Error=0%

 

3^rd Distance=0.459225

WT=2.925

46 centimeters (.46m) @73

Error=2%

 

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, churning up a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland in the northern part of the country and set off warnings as far away the west coast of the United States and South America. Recorded as 9.0 on the richter scale, it was the most powerful quake ever to hit the country.

Families raced from their homes without closing the front doors. Now the land stands empty, frozen in time, virtually untouched since the March 11 disaster that created a wasteland in the 12-mile circle of farmland that surrounds the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Some 78,000 people lived here; only a handful have been permitted to return. Lots of damage was done and caused cattle and the pets to roam untended near closed Fukushima plant. 

When it came down to recovery, NY times states ” On November 2011, Japan’s economy grew at a 6 percent annualized rate in the third quarter, signaling a strong recovery after the devastating tsunami in March. Still, a slowing global economy and a stubbornly strong yen cloud the outlook for Japan, the world’s third-largest economy. ” Saved by a rebound in exports and consumption, the gross domestic product expanded 1.5 percent in three months. These numbers were released by the Cabinet office. Also exports jumped 6.2 percent as manufacturers got production back on track.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/japan/index.html?scp=1&sq=Fukushima%20Daiichi%20nuclear%20disaster&st=cse

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/12/17/fukushima_daiichi_nuclear_power_plant_under_control_japan_declares/

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/japan/index.html?scp=1&sq=Fukushima%20Daiichi%20nuclear%20disaster&st=cse