Here is a Video of me & my partner taking on the experiment…

IMG_0484

In this lab we explored Newton’s 2^nd
Law.

1. Newton’s 2^nd Law i.e

2. The law of conservation
of energy

3.Velocity and acceleration

4. Power

In the experiment, we altered the amount of weight used on the pulley, and using  the Lab View computer program we were able to adjust the power levels to lift the weights…We discovered that less weight made the pulley go faster, as did higher power levels when the weight was unchanging.  Likewise, heavier weights and lower power levels slowed it down. After collecting the data, it was transferred to a
Microsoft Excel template, shown in the image below.We then arranged the first four attempts that had the same amount of weight and
different power levels, and the last four have different weights but the same power level.  After this, we put it all into several graphs.

Demand response refers to electricity customers reducing or shifting their electricity use during peak demand periods in response to price signals or other types of incentives. At present, the vast majority of electricity customers are on flat, average rates that do not vary by time of day or season, no matter how much the cost to generate or deliver electricity fluctuates as demands on the system rise and fall. Flat rates combined with the growth in the use of air conditioning—one of the highest demands during peak periods—has led to peak power demand growing faster than overall growth in electricity consumption. Rising peak demand is straining the electricity system and threatening the reliability of the power grid. It also is adding costs that all customers pay one way or the other, while leading to increased emissions.

Demand response technologies are smart grid technologies. They include any products or services that help in the active monitoring and dynamic control of electricity usage. Smart meters are one of the examples. Such meters allow measurement in time intervals, which is essential to being able to send timebased price signals to customers that encourage them to shift usage from one period to another. The meters and other technologies also allow new and better information to be generated and used by both the customer and electricity providers.

• The estimated minimum amount of power electricity consumers demand on a day-to-day basis is called the baseload.
• Demand for electric power is highest in the afternoon and early evening. The periods when demand is greatest are called peak usage times.
• Dynamic pricing, time-of-use rates (TOU) and upgrading to smart grid technology are all examples of demand response programs that could reduce energy consumption, reduce power outages and reduce wholesale energy costs.
• The current power grid is one-way only — it delivers power where and when power is requested. Upgrading to a smarter, two-way automatic grid would open communication between power plants, delivery systems and buildings. It could automate the flow of electricity as needed, identify load problems and balance uneven supplies of energy.

DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS

Demand Response programs offer incentives to electricity users to reduce their power use in RESPONSE to a utility’s need for power due to a high, system-wide DEMAND for electricity or emergencies that could affect the transmission grid.

Demand Response programs offer these incentives to users who volunteer to participate by temporarily reducing their electricity usage when demand could outpace supply. These high-demand situations are known by a number of different terms: peak demand, peak energy event, critical demand event, peak demand period, etc. Utility and energy planners endorse Demand Response programs as fiscally and environmentally responsible ways to respond to peak demand periods. Below are some of the different demand response programs.

1. Peak Energy Agriculture Rewards (PEAR)
2. PJM Interconnection
3. Demand Response Contracts
4. Demand Bidding Program (DBP)
5. Critical Peak Pricing (CPP)

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