The 4th Annual Cardboard Canoe Challenge

We are claiming 15 achievements total 

1. Criteria:

-Build a watercraft that allows you to traverse the CHS swimming pool.

 - Your "boat" must float at least one student through the course of the competition.

 - Protect your workspace from damage! - Implied: Keep your workspace clean 

2.Constraints: 

 - You may only use Cardboard and Duct Tape for this event.

 - All Staples or other foreign material must be removed from your cardboard. If we trash the pool, we will not be invited back for other activities during the year (yes, we have other activities in mind for 2nd semester). 

 - Cardboard must meet our quality standard and be approved by the instructor (more info to follow) 

 - Each boat must have a minimum of a 3" tall "sidewall" (no completely flat designs). 

 - All exposed cardboard must be covered in duct tape (this will reduce cardboard disintigration in the pool). 

 - Each team will be provided one "versa table" cardboard box piece and two 60yrd rolls of duct tape. Any materials beyond this (likely need more cardboard) need to be resourced by your team.

 - Implied: The boat must fit out of the doorway

 - Implied: The boat must be able to be transported from the classroom to the pool

 - Implied: The boat can not pose any threat to the students in or around the boat while it is in the water

 DESIGN ACHIEVEMENTS Define and Brainstorm the Design: We need to create a boat made of completely cardboard and duct tape that will float in a body of water.

3. Brainstormed Ideas: Flat bottom, longer length, high walls, low walls, shorter length, v-shaped bottom, pointed front, angled front, pointed back, flat back, completely covered in duct tape, duct tape only covering cardboard exposed to water, wide bottom, narrow bottom, oars, pull with a rope, push with swimmers, paddle by yourself, one person in boat, two people in boat, lay down flat, sit up on butt, kneel in boat, stand in boat 

4. Big Brain: I think I had the most brainstorm ideas WRITTEN DOWN; however, our whole team contributed to the entire brainstorm list 

 5. SKETCH:

 First Idea:

Second:

Third(final):

6. PROTOTYPES: 

 First Prototype: 

 - Flat Bottom 

 - Curved, pointed bow 

- High Walls 

 Second Prototype:

 - V-Shaped Bottom 

 - High Walls 

 - Short Length 

 Third (Final) Prototype:

 - Flat Bottom 

 - Not so high of walls (easier paddling?)

 - Rectangle with a pointed front (stable)

7.  Reflection achievements: 

 First Idea: 

+ - flat bottom for stability 

 Change - High walls 

 ? - What is the optimal boat length? 

 ! - Shorten the walls and make it longer

 Second Idea:

 + - V bottom for straightness 

 Change - High Walls 

 ? - Should a flat bottom or v shaped bottom be used? 

 ! - Use a flat bottom and shorten the walls and make it longer

 Final Idea: 

 + - Flat bottom and optimal length Change - Final Idea

- no need for a change 

 ? - How should we propel the boat? (pulling or paddling) 

 ! - Pulling could be faster and easier for the pilot to keep the boat stable 

 MATRIX:

 First: short, high walls, flat bottom, one point in front, curved bow 

 Second: short, high walls, curved bottom, two points, looks a lot like a regular canoe 

 Third: longer (optimal lengthe between speed and handling), shorter walls, flat bottom, one point in front, point is slightly curved We will use the third and final prototype for our cardboard boat.

8. How low did you go?: our canoe sat roughly 2 inches in the water. It was very surprising that it didn't go more into the water.

9. Redesign: If I were to build another canoe my team members and I would take more time duct taping it and pay more attention to detail.

10. Own achievement: achievement for fewest amount of team members at race.

11. Extra credit achievement:Sean was able to best mr Olson in a swim competition.

BUILD ACHIEVEMENTS:

12. Build it!

Finished cardboard boat

TEST ACHIEVEMENTS:

13. The longest: we won the time challenge

14. Balance Master:http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J2DVhNxSaHY

15.Videographer:http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J2DVhNxSaHY

Wheel and axle

First class lever/ second class lever/ third class lever

My first blog post of the year

I'm very excited to get into engineering and start problem solving. Since I intend to pursue a career in engineering this course will work to an advantage to me. Go engineers.

Here is the visual of the actual elavator (lots of wires):

Here is the Main program for the software:

Here is the Subprogram for F1:

Here is the Subprogram for F2:

Here is the Subprogram for F3:

Here is the Subprogram for F4:

Moneyball "Game Changer"

1) What was the “Moneyball”approach that Billy Beane and Peter Brandt applied to the Oakland Athletics 2002 season? Was it an “art” or a “science”? What single statistic did they boil their value consideration down to? (In class research/discussion). The Moneyball approach that they applied was that they wanted to get players who had not necessarily good playing styles, but how their OBP was. Moneyball was a science because it dealt with putting in numbers into the computer and coming up with an overall percentage for the player. The single statistic that they really stuck with was the fact that the player could get on base and not that he wasn’t good in the field.

2) What is the equation used to calculate OBP? (In class research/discussion) The equation to calculate OBP is

OBP= H+BB+HBP
--------------
AB+BB+HBP+SF
3) What is design? (In class research/discussion) Design is a creative/innovative way to come up with an idea and then put it into play.


4) Describe 3 situations where movie characters (intentionally or not) applied a step from the PLTW 12 Step Design I like dick Process. Explain both the (a) situation as well as (b) how the step is relevant:
1 – Hired Peter Brant for a solution for his team. Refining approach based on his first attempt.

2 – Fired Giambi and went against Moneyball technique. Tested and evaluated player.

3 – Traded players in order to make a better approach to winning games. Created more made new decision.


5) What is “Leadership”? List the three aspects of leadership that we come up with in class. (In class research/discussion)

1 – Being able to make decisions without other peoples input. Direction
2 – Alignment
3 – Explaining decisions made toward the team and how to become a better player. Commitment

6) Describe 3 circumstances from the story where a character exercised effective leadership:
1 – When Billy Beane went into the clubhouse and told the players how they should feel about losing.

2 – When Peter Brant came in early on the first day to get work done and be productive.

3 –When Peter Brant fired a player and had him traded to the Tigers.

7) According to the movie, what was the A’s record at the start of their winning streak? 68 : 51

8) What does this ratio simplify to (roughly)? 1.33 : 1

9) How long was the A’s record setting winning streak? 20 games won.

10) Given the A’s win/loss ratio at the start of the streak (listed two questions above), what are the odds of winning 20 games in a row? Run the numbers. (In class research/discussion)The odds of winning 20 games in a row would take 477 years to make that possible.

11) Based on your calculation, do you think the A’s got lucky or was there something to the Moneyball approach? I think that in some parts they got lucky but also the moneyball technique was very helpful as well.

12) Did Billy Beane strictly apply the “science” of Moneyball to his management approach? Was there an “art” to his efforts as well? Describe a circumstance where he broke from the Moneyball approach to make a positive change for the team. Billy Beane did apply the moneyball approach as a science but he also applied and art to it as well when he decided to trade players.

Bonus Question (look into this if you’ve finished ahead of the class):
Money Ball was originally a book. What author wrote the book? What other books has this author written? Is there a theme to his writing? Michael Lewis wrote the book Moneyball and he also wrote Blindside: The evolution of the Game. I think that the theme to his writing would have to deal with sports and maybe the economic aspect of baseball.

Soccer Goal

This soccer goal will turn on the red lamp on top of the goal if a goal is scored. The photoresistors inside the goal will sense when the ball passes by the lights and turn on the lamp on top signifying a goal.

And here is the software that we used to get the goal to do what we wanted.