Physics
CHain reaction microproject
Chain Reaction
Something that I would like to communicate to the world about my chain reaction would be that although we faced many challenges, we were able to fix them with minor alterations. It was much more difficult to have 10 transitions because not all of our parts fit together. we had to find a compromise for all the mechanics to function.
The Problem
In class we were challenged to make a chain reaction project. This project had to have ten transitions, meaning that there had to be ten segments of movements. this became quite the challenge for many of us including myself. The reason being, we became so focused on having ten, we forgot about creativity and precision. Before starting the actual project we were paired up in groups of three so that we could first practice, with only having to use five transitions in the process. One other requirement we were given was finding a way to incorporate a coin flipping into our design.
The way we all began this project was by creating a sketch of what we, as groups wanted for our design. After brainstorming and consulting with our group members we were able to create a design that we wanted to construct as a team. after trying out our first couple ideas we discovered not all of them would work. We also created several different sketches of what we wanted and created drafts until the drawing was perfected.
Research
Our design did not require much research. although I did research a few youtube videos for inspiration. these videos portrayed many different ideas and each one used similar methods in different ways. one of my group members had an idea to create a Popsicle stick bomb. we all liked the idea and because I did not know what that was I went home and did a little bit of research. after watching a couple videos it helped me further understand what we would be doing in this part of the project. one video that helped me was looking up a step by step how to video. this video showed me how to create this object.
Doing research helped because I found out that a Popsicle stick bomb was a pattern that was made out of Popsicle sticks and was tightly held together by force. After learning how to create this pattern I was able to help out a lot more with the project. One thing I would do differently would be to do more research on ideas because with the bigger chain reaction it was a lot harder to come up with ways to improvise new ideas.
Design
Our model was simple but very efficient. our model had all ten transitions that were required. It also incorporated a coin flipping. Our first practice model we did was a little more difficult because my team could not decide on a prototype we wanted to construct.
We all had so many ideas but we did not want to settle for a mediocre project, we wanted to come up with a great ideas. After persistently trying new ideas we all decided on one we all really liked.
For my first practice design I had the privilege to work in a group of three while everyone else was allowed to work in pairs of two. This gave my group an advantage because we were able to get our task done quicker and more efficiently than other groups. After moving into our official groups containing five people, we had to create a new design. Creating the new design was fairly simple, because in our combined groups we put together our practice designs and adjusted it to make it fit the new requirements
Prototype
When it came down to actually making the product we wanted to produce we designed several prototypes. After adjusting objects every day to a precise location the set up got easier everyday because we setup so many times before and we pretty much knew where everything was going to go. Although our design failed several times, we did not worry because we were able to find new ways to learn from our mistakes.
As a result I'm proud to say that our project worked very well. It had all ten transition functioning. We were also able to create suspense in our chain reaction. The ending was amazing because not only did we find a way to make a coin flip, but we tried to make it extravagant and stunning. The way we set up our prototype was also a key factor in this task because if it was not kept organized then the design would not turn out the way we wanted it to.
Growth
The chain reaction project was based upon refinement and perseverance. These two skills were necessary because my groups chain reaction had to be precise and if one object was slightly off then the whole project would fail. It took many steps of adjusting and rearranging the design for it to function as desired. This process also required eliminating certain ideas that did not work. My group remained positive even after our biggest failures. although we got discouraged after not being able to get the whole project working the first few times, we never gave up. We used those failures and observed them in order to fix the project.
The level of teamwork that my partners were able to accomplish was impeccable. Our project may not have been possible without the help from all of us. Along with staying positive, we were also a encouraging and supportive group, not only within our group but with the rest of the groups. After my group finished our project we all went around trying to help other groups. We gave them tips and encouragement when they became frustrated. We also offered new ideas and ways to modify their projects to make them as creative as possible.
Click to see a video of our chain reaction!
Humanities
hero project
I am very proud of my final zine outcome. Although It took a lot of time and to complete and several errors to correct, it was worth it. Learning to use the program was one of the hardest parts. After a few tries it became much easier to understand. My zine was everything I had hoped it would be. From cool fonts and designs to intriguing content.
This project definitely tested my patience and and perseverance. This is true because when I was refining my zine, many errors began to appear. In fact twenty-eight errors came to my attention, and fixing them made it worse. It became very frustrating because I was so close to finishing and fixing them took a long time to solve all of them.
Refinement was the biggest stretch for me. After I printed my final zine and I thought i was completely finished, I found a few unfortunate grammar errors. I did not want to exhibit work I was unhappy with. I decided to go back and refine my work a second time until I was satisfied.
I would want to improve in mindfulness. If I hadn't double checked my work then I wouldn't have exhibited my best work. Unfortunately I had to waste paper and reprint all my work. My zine consisted of my heroic philosophy, pictures of my hero and quotes from my hero. My heroic philosophy also had important quotes from the Iliad and the allegory of the cave. Some of those components were cut out and I had to focus and find a way to get all of my content in my final zine.
This project definitely tested my patience and and perseverance. This is true because when I was refining my zine, many errors began to appear. In fact twenty-eight errors came to my attention, and fixing them made it worse. It became very frustrating because I was so close to finishing and fixing them took a long time to solve all of them.
Refinement was the biggest stretch for me. After I printed my final zine and I thought i was completely finished, I found a few unfortunate grammar errors. I did not want to exhibit work I was unhappy with. I decided to go back and refine my work a second time until I was satisfied.
I would want to improve in mindfulness. If I hadn't double checked my work then I wouldn't have exhibited my best work. Unfortunately I had to waste paper and reprint all my work. My zine consisted of my heroic philosophy, pictures of my hero and quotes from my hero. My heroic philosophy also had important quotes from the Iliad and the allegory of the cave. Some of those components were cut out and I had to focus and find a way to get all of my content in my final zine.