Our driving question for this project was: How can we design an outdoor class space that is comfortable and pleasant to use in all conditions, without the use of electricity? To start, we separated into groups of four and we did lots of small projects/labs that would help us when we started the design for our outdoor classroom. We started off with the task of building a makeshift water heater, and we learned about solar angles and how they change during different seasons. Second we tested the heat conductivity of certain materials and how certain materials absorb water. We also developed a survey to give to students and teachers asking what they wanted in a outdoor classroom, and what they would use it for, etc... In addition we designed a wind turbine that we could use to generate electricity. The main part of our project was the building design including blueprints, a model, and a list of the supplies, quantity, and cost. Overall this project took about three months of hard work!
Solar Water Heater The purpose of this assignment was to figure out the best way to efficiently heat water using the sun. First we made a list of materials, then we created a blueprint, and then we assembled. We had a fairly simple design and here is how it works. First we pour water into a bottle that is insulated in a card board box. There is a plastic tube at the bottom of the bottle that connects the bottle to a copper pipe. The copper pipe zig zags through an area surrounded by mirrors. The mirrors are all angled to reflect as much sunlight as possible at the copper pipe. Our design ended up working pretty good. In the end our water heated up about 6 degrees Celsius.
Here is a picture of our solar water heater in action!
Client Needs Survey The purpose of this survey was to find out what students and teachers would want in our outdoor classroom. We came up with 10 solid questions that would give us enough information on what people wanted. Here is a link to our results:
Site Selection Site Selection was a huge part of this project. We needed to find the prefect location that fit all the needs of the students and teachers. The factors that my group took into consideration when choosing our location were: level ground, sunlight/shade exposure, distance from campus, ground quality, wifi strength, and wind block. The location we chose is between the art room and cafeteria. There was already a 41 foot by 26 foot concrete perimeter around our location which is convenient. The ground is level, it is on campus, has great wifi connection, good wind block and has a concrete patch leading to it for wheel chair accessibility. This is what our location looks like:
Materials Testing Lab We wanted to be sure that the materials we used to build our outdoor classroom with were the best in all weather conditions. As a result we designed this lab to test all the possible materials we would be using. We tested how hot certain materials would get under a heat lamp. After 10 minutes we turned the headlamps off and timed how long it took for the material to cool to its original temperature. We also submerged materials in water and checked how much they weighed before and after, to see how much water they absorbed. This lab was a very important aspect of this project because we would't want to build parts of our outdoor classroom out of materials that got soaked with water or that heat up a lot in the sun. Here is a link to our data we collected:
Wind Turbine Lab For this lab we created wind turbines to try to figure out the most efficient design for VAWT(vertical axis wind turbine) and HAWT(horizontal axis wind turbine). Our group figured out that aluminium was the best material and that pinwheels are the best design, especially at high wind speeds. The reason why was because aluminum is rigid, so no energy is lost in the material bending. Pinwheels worked the best because they can spin the fastest because of their wind pockets and air flow.
Our Outdoor Classroom Design Here is our presentation for our outdoor classroom. It includes blueprints, aesthetics, total cost and much more! Check it out to learn more about our idea.
Concepts
Atoms: Basic structures of all matter
Molecular Structure: Describes the type, arrangement, position, and direction of the bonds linking atoms within a molecule.
States of Matter:
Solid-Molecules barely move. Ex. ice
Liquid- Molecules move around. Ex. water
Gases- Molecules move the fastest. Ex. steam
Specific Heat Capacity: The specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to change a unit mass of a substance by one degree in temperature.
Conduction: Heat transfer through a solid. Some solids are better at transferring heat (Ex. Copper> Aluminum)
Convection: Movement of heat through a fluid (liquid or gas)
Radiation: Transfer of heat through waves/rays/particles
Insulation: Opposite of conduction (bad at transferring heat)
Laws Of Thermodynamics:
0th Law- Explains Temperature (If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in equilibrium with each other)
1st Law- Conservation of energy (Energy is neither created or destroyed, but transferred from one form to another. Heat is a form of energy)
2nd Law- Entropy increases (Disorder increases. Over time everything becomes the same temperature)
3rd Law- Temperature can never get to absolute zero. Heat always exists.
Angles Of The Sun: We live in the northern hemisphere so the light that we get from the sun generally comes from the south, although the exact angles of light rays change considerably throughout the day and during different seasons. While designing our home, we had to take these changing angles into consideration.
Energy Justification Here is a link to the energy justification document our class made to justify why we should use renewable energy and make an outdoor classroom:
Reflection So far this was the best project this year. I thought it was very cool that we got the opportunity to design and build an outdoor classroom for our school! After finishing our design and presentation, we had to present it in front of an audience. We presented to parents/students and a panel of judges consisting of parents from the STEM fund, engineers, teachers, and some students. I feel that my group did very well presenting our idea. We also worked together very well and there weren't any big disagreements. Although not everyone did an equal amount of work it, was a great experience and I got to know people a lot more. Two areas that I want to improve are my team working skills as well as my communication skills. I feel like these skills are the key to improving your groups end result.