Leighton

Leighton
March 24, 2010 // Paragraph 1 – In first person, explain: 1) how analog signals are different from digital signals, 2) how semiconductors are used in electronic devices, and 3) how diodes and transistors are used.  · Paragraph 2 – In first person, explain where electronics would be useful in a space mission to Mars where the goal is to ultimately search for life on Mars.  //

The difference between digital and analog signals is how it changes from one place to another. Analog signals changes smoothly unlike the digital that moves in short abrupt movements. An example of this is in an analog clock in which the parts move smoothly when showing the time, however in a digital clock the numbers just change abruptly when it changes time. Inside these devices contain objects called semiconductors which are elements that conduct less electricity than metals but better then metalloids. These semiconductors can be controlled by adding impurities. When added, the impurities cause the semiconductors to either give or take electrons. When the two are together they act like a switch turning items on or off.

Without electronics a space Mission to Mars would be nearly impossible. First without electronics they could design a robot that could do certain tasks that would allow electricity .Also if there was an issue with the robot nobody could see what was happening in mars since there would be no computers in the space station. Without electricity there would be no such thing as space travel.

Log Post # 2 March 29, 2010

Some atoms in certain metals allow electricity flow because of one reason, energy shells. If an element does not have a full energy shell it is willing to give away electrons causing the current to flow. In order to a current to flow it must be closed. If it is open the electricity cannot travel anywhere, hence producing no current, also if there is opposite forces in a circuit it would start the circuit. With an uneven number of electrons, two same forces can produce a current as well. Although successful the currents will not last as long without a regulator to maintain the difference in charges. This difference in charges is called a voltage.

A voltage is the difference in charges; voltages come from a voltage source in the current. An electric current is simply a complete flow of electricity, without a resistor the current can easily kill someone. Resistors are meant to not let as much electricity flow Some atoms in certain metals allow electricity flow because of one reason, energy shells. If an element does not have a full energy shell it is willing to give away electrons causing the current to flow. In order to a current to flow it must be closed. If it is open the electricity cannot travel anywhere, hence producing no current, also if there is opposite forces in a circuit it would start the circuit. With an uneven number of electrons, two same forces can produce a current as well. Although successful the currents will not last as long without a regulator to maintain the difference in charges. This difference in charges is called a voltage.

A voltage is the difference in charges; voltages come from a voltage source in the current. An electric current is simply a complete flow of electricity, without a resistor the current can easily kill someone. Resistors are meant to not let as much electricity flow through the circuit, making it safer to use. Volts is the measurement used for voltages in circuits, the electric current is measured in Ampere’s this is measured by how much electricity flows through a wire in one second. Finally the measurement for electric resistance is ohms or Omegas.

A circuit starts off from a battery and then into the item but it is a little more complicated than that. First it travels to the battery which goes through the wires. Then it is reduced to a safer voltage by the resistors, finally it travels into the device and back into the battery and the circuit is complete. There are two different types of circuits, parallel and series. Parallel circuits are connected with multiple circuits, and when one goes out the other mini- circuits keep on working causing the other lights not to go out.

Log Entry 3

April 10, 2010

The History of Rockets media type="custom" key="6118635"



2000 years ago, a Greek inventor named Hero of Alexandria made the first rocket like device. He mounted a sphere on top of a water kettle with pipes on the sphere. It would work when the kettle was above the fire the steam would go into the pipes to the sphere where it would then go out L- shaped tubes on opposite sides of the sphere sending out gases. This gave a thrust to the sphere and caused it to rotate. But it was not until the year 200 A.D, when the first rocket was made. The Chinese accidentally mixed saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust to make gunpowder. When they put it in bamboo tubes, when lit, it would go flying up in the air. The Chinese as well as the Mongols eventually used the rockets for military purposes.



In the year 1898, a Russian schoolteacher, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was the first person to think of sending rockets into space. He thought that by using liquid fuels the rockets could travel farther. In America a man named Robert H. Goddard (1882-1945), conducted practical experiments in rocketry. He was testing different types of fuels to see which fuels were better than others, which would result in a higher flight. After World War 2 the U.S and the Soviet Union both knew the power of rockets, and that the rockets could make military weapons. But on October, 4 1957 the world was shocked to learn that a satellite was sent into space. The Americans sent Explorer 1 in space on January 31, 1958. In October of that year, the United States organized its space program by creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Now we are sending people and robots into distant places to collect samples, and record data to make us have a better understanding of the solar system. But this could not have been accomplished without the people who had the idea of going into space.

__Rocket Flight Stages Simulation__

media type="custom" key="5999215" [|Learn more about this project]

Instructions 1, The simulation is showing the stages of the rocket, starting on earth and ending on Mars. 2. To start, click on the green flag. 3. There is sound for this, so turn on your sound button.

Log Entry # 4

Rocket Photo

Without several key components, a rocket would never fly. The most important part of the rocket is the rocket motor. Without it, the rocket could never get into the air. The rocket motor would need to be held in place, so the motor mount holds in place to prevent the motor from going all over the place. When the rocket is fired the motor will send hot flames into the rocket. This would burn the recovery system. The recovery wadding protects recovery system. The recovery system is a parachute that is attached to the nose cone. When the rocket fired the recovery system comes out of the rocket and makes the rocket able to be used again. The fins are meant to make the air hitting the rocket go to the sides, rather then hitting the rocket head on. The air colliding into the rocket head on will effect the distance, rather then the air going on the sides of the rocket. The nose cone on the top of the rocket, also causes the wind to go to the sides of the rocket as well as the fins. The next important aspect of flying a rocket is it's direction, it is always good to have a rocket that goes up rather then sideways. The launch lug of the rocket takes care of problem. The launch lug slides into the launcher, causing the rocket to go straight up the air. The last part of the rocket is the main body tube which makes the rocket able to fly. Because without the rocket would be missing half of it.

Entry # 5

// It was hypothesized that if a rocket was heavier or lighter then it would affect the height of the rocket. The purpose of the experiment was to see if that the apogee and the mass of the rocket are related. In order to get to its apogee, the rocket will need several forces to send it up in the air. Gravity is already acting on the rocket before it even takes off, so the thrust of the rocket’s engine would compensate for that. When the thrust of the rocket sends the rocket into the air inertia will be resisting the rocket to move. Those were the several components that make up the rocket’s flight. //


 * The data in the graph shows that the data has no relationship. This means that the data does not move up or down. The lowest apogee was the rocket that weighed 44.6 grams. This is interesting because the rockets that were heavier went higher than the rocket that went the lowest. The rocket that weighed the less went highest, with a mass of 43.5 grams. By looking at the graph our hypothesis was somewhat accurate. In the hypothesis it was stated that the lower weight will go higher, this was true since the highest rocket was the lightest one. But a rocket weighing 44.6 grams had a lower height than the rockets that were heavier. So the hypothesis is partially correct. **

Rocket Entry #6 History of Robotics

Figure 1: Chinese Water Clock
 * Robots have been used for centuries and in many different forms. The first robot was created was in 270 B.C by a physicist named Ctesibius, his robot was basically was a water clock with movable figures. There would be no more advances in robotics until 1495 when Leonardo Da Vinci made a mechanical man. In the next 300 years none of the robots would be machines. But in 1801, Joseph Jacquard invents a textile machine called a programmable loom that was operated by punch cards. These are not considered robots; however they do operate by buttons, so they are technically robots. The robot that moved on its own was in the 1890’s when Nikola Tesela designed the first remote control vehicles. In 1946, two scientists named Eckert and Mauchly build the first large electronic computer. This paragraph has been about the not yet modernized robots, but in the second paragraph it will be about the birth of the industrial robot. zzz **


 * Robots started to modernize in the 1950’s, when the first robotic arm was built. In the 1960’s, when space travel was new, people were creating robots that could be sent to space. By the 1970’s robots were being able to do the things that human’s do, such as building something. People were designing robots that could replace them from doing work in the 80's and 90'sOne example of that was in 1993, when a robot named Demeter was designed to cut crops. Robots have also taken photos of distance planets. This happened in 1997 when the NASA Path finder took photos of the surface of Mars. The last advances of robots were in the past 10 years, when people built robots that looked and acted liked dogs and other animals. **
 * It is amazing to see what we have accomplished in the past 2000 years in robotics. It first started with a water clock, and then turned into rockets that were sent into space, and that was the history of robotics. **

Figure 2: Nasa Robot

Entry # 7

media type="custom" key="6118635"  These blocks are the equivalent to a robot moving forward, turning right, going foward, turning left, going back and spinning around. In this paragraph I will be explaining every little detail of these blocks. The first block in Figure 1 is a motion block going forward. To match the distance needed for the course the power was sent to 75 % and the B and C wheels will be turning 3.5 rotations. To prevent the robot from moving without stopping we set the robot to stop when the 1st block was complete. The second block is a movement block that turns at a 90 degree angle to the right. The power was sent to 75 % and the wheels were set to turn 1 rotation. After the 2nd block is finished the robot will stop. The 3rd block is a motion block that goes forward for 1 rotation. The power is 75 % and when the 3rd block is complete the robot will stop. The fourth block is a movement block that turns a 90 degree angle for one rotation and at 75 % power. When the fourth block is finished the robot will stop again. The fifth block is a forward motion block that moves one rotation at 75 % power. After the fifth block is complete the robot will stop for a second. The sixth block is the exact same thing as the 5th block except the 6th block goes backwards. Once the 6th block finishes the robot stops again. The final block goes at a complete turn with 100 % power and set for 5 rotations. Once robot stops spinning the robot is done. Review your notes about the characteristics of life. In a proper paragraph describe the characteristics a living thing must possess. Include one picture that pertains to the characteristics of life.

There are 8 characteristics that make up a living thing, they are, made of cells, need materials, homeostatic, respond to simuli,reproduce,grow ,adapt,respiration. If a thing as cells it is a living thing. A living thing also needs materials such as water sunlight and food. Homeostatic is when a thing does not change state, no living thing changes state , this makes it living. When an animal hears something or when plants respond to water it is called responding to simuli. This makes a thing living. If a thing reproduces is a living thing. If a thing grows and gets older it is living. When an animal breathes, or when a plant takes in carbon dioxide this is called respiration. As shown in Figure 1 repsiration is turning into energy. Without energy there would be no living things. Respiration is a key characteristic in living. The final thing that is essential for living is to adapt, without adaption there would be no living things. These are all the 8 characteristics that make up a living thing.

Figure 1 : Respiration turning into energy.