Evidence
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This is my You Have the Power: Energy Project. For this project, our assignment was to figure out how we could harness chemical energy into different forms of usable energy. This is supposed to demonstrate our understanding of different types of energy and how they transfer. For my project, I harnessed the chemical energy of lemons to power a Google Home system. I turned chemical energy into usable, electric energy.
Content
The main objective of this project was to learn about different types of energy and how they transfer and change into different forms. The main forms of energy my device utilizes are chemical energy, electrical energy, light energy, sound energy, and electromagnetic energy. The chemical energy is harnessed from the lemon batteries. The lemon batteries work because they have a zinc strip and a copper wire inserted into the lemon. The copper has a tendency to collect electrons and the zinc tends to give off electrons. Because they are connected through the lemon, electrons flow from the zinc to the copper, thus creating an electric current. This electric current can be transferred through wires to power electrical devices. For my system, I hooked up wires to a Google Home system. The Google Home system is a virtual home assistant that gives feedback to the user via light energy, sound energy, and electromagnetic energy. The LEDs in the system give visual feedback in the form of light energy for uses such as volume and mute controls. The speakers in the system give audio feedback in the form of sound energy for uses such as music, voice responses, and sound signals. The system also utilizes electromagnetic energy for wifi and bluetooth capabilities.
As for the design of my product, there are five to six lemon batteries in series, connected to the micro-USB connecter which plugs into the Google Home system. The device traditionally runs on a 5V, 1.8A power adapter, so the battery is design to replicate these specs. The five or six batteries are to provide the 5V potential difference. Due to the lack of current output of the batteries, I also figured out that I need a specific wire gauge of 37 gauge solid copper wire that is 1.7 meters long. All calculations are described in the slideshow above.
As for the design of my product, there are five to six lemon batteries in series, connected to the micro-USB connecter which plugs into the Google Home system. The device traditionally runs on a 5V, 1.8A power adapter, so the battery is design to replicate these specs. The five or six batteries are to provide the 5V potential difference. Due to the lack of current output of the batteries, I also figured out that I need a specific wire gauge of 37 gauge solid copper wire that is 1.7 meters long. All calculations are described in the slideshow above.
Conclusion
Overall, this project was very interesting. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this entire project was completed via remote learning. Because of this, there were many challenges to overcome. For one, we were pretty much on our own for this project. Due to social distance measures, we were unable to work in our traditional groups. This means that we would have less resources to rely on. On top of this, learning the actual content on our own was challenging as well. Though it was tough at times, I managed to persevere, and our teacher was very supportive during this time, which definitely helped. Another thing that I had to overcome was time management. Again due to school cancellations, we were allowed to work at our own pace. However, this also meant a lack of a concrete schedule, it was tough balancing a lot of other school work and important AP test as well. Despite this, I think I was able to put a good amount of time and effort into my project, and everything turned out okay.
Because of this project's weird format, I was able to learn a lot about my learning and how I can make remote learning a better experience. One thing that is important is to stay focused and motivated. Though it may be tough to do so, especially when at home and when grades are no longer important, I think it is still important to make the most out of the time we spend, and I definitely had a lot of fun with this project and learned a lot along the way. Another thing that is important is to do is see every challenge as an opportunity. Even though there were many obstacles to overcame, I was able to move past them, and learn from them. This project presented me the perfect opportunity to test my perseverance, and I think I did well. Despite all the hardships during these times, thus project opened my eyes and I had a lot of fun as well. And while I can't wait for this pandemic to be over, I think I can say that I will be ready for the challenges that are presented before me.
Because of this project's weird format, I was able to learn a lot about my learning and how I can make remote learning a better experience. One thing that is important is to stay focused and motivated. Though it may be tough to do so, especially when at home and when grades are no longer important, I think it is still important to make the most out of the time we spend, and I definitely had a lot of fun with this project and learned a lot along the way. Another thing that is important is to do is see every challenge as an opportunity. Even though there were many obstacles to overcame, I was able to move past them, and learn from them. This project presented me the perfect opportunity to test my perseverance, and I think I did well. Despite all the hardships during these times, thus project opened my eyes and I had a lot of fun as well. And while I can't wait for this pandemic to be over, I think I can say that I will be ready for the challenges that are presented before me.