Madeline

 ** 3/24/11 The Study of Different Electronic Signals **  ** Entry #1: Madeli ne M ** An analog signal is a signal that varies smoothly in time. Analog signals are used in most TV’s, VCR’s, radios, and telephones. Electronic signals are not the only type of analog signals. An analog signal can be made by any smooth flowing. The analog signals are different than digital signals because they do not vary smoothly. This type of signal is used in CD players. An example of the difference between these two signals is a clock jumping from minute to minute instead of flowing smoothly from second to second like an analog signal. A diode is a solid-state component that only allows current to be able to flow one way. Semiconductors are useful in electronic devises because if you add impurities to them than it completely changes the conductivity of electricity. A transistor is also a solid-state component, but it is used to amplify signals in an electric circuit. An integrated circuit contains large numbers of interconnected solid state components and is made by a single ship if semiconductor. Each component is different in its own unique way.

There is much importance of electronic devices in a space mission to travel to Mars. Without these electronic devices we would not have the advancements of space shuttles or rovers. With these electronic devices, they are able to transmit signals all between space and earth. The advancements that the electronic devices help build man y space traveler mobiles. Without them we would not know what space looks like up close.

Ms. Mc: Good genergal overview of electrnonics and ideas about how we could use electronic devices on our mission to Mars. Please start your paragraphs with a topic sentence. A few more specific examples of electronic devices for our mission would have been good (i.e., cameras, soil analyzers, solar panels, etc.). 9/10

**4/3/11 History of Rockets ** **Entry #2: Madeline M ** One of the first few devices to be successfully employed with the essential parts to a rocket flight was a rocket-like device called an aeolipile. It is thought that the first true rockets were actually accidental discoveries. The Chinese began to experiment with gunpowder-filled tubes, and later began launching arrows to bamboo tubes with bows. After all of these launchings, the Chinese learned that the gunpowder tubes could actually launch themselves. They discovered that even just the escaping gas is all it took for the gunpowder tubes to launch. When all of these discoveries were made, the true rocket was finally born. The actual date of the first actual rockets was in 1232. During this year the Chinese and Mongols were at war with each other; the Battle of Kai-Keng. The Chinese sent arrows with fire over to repel the Mongol invasions. The Mongols may have been the ones actually responsible for the rockets being spread to Europe. In England, a monk actually discovered and worked on creating different forms of gunpowder. His name was Roger Bacon, and with his discoveries the range of the rockets was increased. While Roger Bacon figured out different forms of gunpowder, Jean Froissart, in France, found that the more accurate way to launch a rocket through tubes. In the 20th century, an American named Robert H. Goddard as convinced that a rocket would be propelled batter by the liquid fuel. He was the first person to actually build a successful liquid-propellant rocket on March 18, 1926. From each of these discoveries there have been more and more discoveries, leading new ideas about space and what there is that we have not yet discovered yet.

Ms. Mc: Good summay of ancient rocketry but you didn't explain what the aeolipile was and how it's related to rocketry. You discussion of modern rocketry ended at 1926 but a lot has happened since then! 13/15.

**4/5/11 Scratch Rocket Video **   **Entry #3: Madeline **

media type="custom" key="8971212"

Instructions: 1. Click the red button to turn the video off and make sure that it starts when you are ready. 2. Before you start the video, make sure your volume is on. 3. Then click the green button to start the video from the very beginning. 4. After the video has ended press the red button to stop it.

**4/13/11 Parts of a Rocket ** **Entry #4: Madeline M **

The nose cone of the rocket helps guide the rockets path and airflow. The body tube is what surrounds the recovery system and everything inside of the rocket. When we launched our rockets, as soon as the rocket reached its apogee the recovery system deployed. The recovery system is what slowed the rocket down on its decent back on the ground. Inside of the rocket there is also the recovery wadding, which keeps the recovery system from burning up at lift off. The launch lug is was is used to make sure that the nose cone guides the rocket in the right direction; an aligner. The fins on the bottom sides of the rocket also help guide the direction the rocket flies. If one of the fins fell off then the rockets path would change to the left or right. Next is the motor mount, the job of the motor mount is to keep the rocket's motor intact and in the same place. Last of all is the rocket motor. The rocket motor is filled with gun-powder and is what allows the rocket to lift off. Those are the basic parts of the rocket.

//Ms. Mc: Very good labels and explanation of the functions of the various rocket parts. What is the recovery system? (-1/2). The launch lug guides the rocket up the wire of the launcher so it launches straight up (-1/2). 19/20//

**4/18/11 Results of Rocket Launching ** **Entry #5: Madeline M **  ** The purpose of this experiment was to observe whether the weight (g) of a rocket affected the height (m) of the apogee. The three main forces in this experiment were gravity, thrust, and air resistance. Gravity is the force of attraction, which caused the rocket to make a slow decent back to the ground with the recovery system. Thrust is the force that pushes and in this case lifted the rocket off of the ground with the engine lit. Lastly is air resistance which is the force that opposes the motion of an object, such as the rocket as it flies higher. All of these forces relate to the apogee because without them the apogee would change significantly, because with gravity the rocket would never come back to earth. It was hypothesized that the more weight on the rocket the lower the apogee would be, but that was not the case in this experiment. **  (Above): The pink point represents the rocket launched by me. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> ** The relationship between the apogee and weight shows that the more mass there was the higher the apogee. The relationship between the apogee and the mass is a direct relationship, because the more mass the higher the apogee. The results show that in this case the rocket that weighed the most (44.6 g) had the highest apogee (90 m), while the lightest amount of weight (42.5 g) had the lowest apogee (61 m). These results may have been because of the variables such as the wind or weather that occurred the day before the launch. In this experiment the hypothesis was not supported, while there were a few outliers, most of the data proved that the hypothesis was not what occurred. ** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">

** ﻿ <span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Harrington; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">4/25/11 Question and Answer for Astronomy ** ** Entry #6: Madeli ne M ** **<span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Snap ITC'; font-size: 120%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 12.75pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">1st: A quark is one of the smallest particles in science. It is what makes up protons and neutrons; causing the protons and neutrons to not just be one molecule. There are six different types of quarks. There are up and down quarks which are the most common. Up and Down Quarks have the lowest masses of all the quarks and the heavier quarks usually change into up and down quarks. Charm, strange, and top and bottom quarks can only be made in high energy collisions. The up and down quarks are usually the most stable as well because of the transformation from higher mass to lower mass. **



<span style="color: #e100ff; font-family: 'Snap ITC'; font-size: 120%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0pt;">2nd: A galaxy is a huge, gravitationally bound system which is made up of stars, gas, and dust. Each galaxy is classed according to their shape; whether it is elliptical, spiral, or irregular. When galaxies collide together, mergers often occur. Mergers are what causing spiral arms to sometimes appear on a galaxy. It is believed by scientists t hat near 2 billion years before the Big Bang, the gravity collapsed the matter and that is when galaxies begin to form. While there are many other beliefs as to what happened, this is the most common among other scientists. About 3 billion years ago following the Big Bang out galaxy was formed, which is known now as the Milky Way.



//Ms. Mc: Good answers, captions, and pictures! Quarks ARE the smallest known particles to date. Protons and nuetrons are not molecules but subatomic particles (-1/2). Molecules are 2 or more atoms bonded together (-1/2). Galaxies were formed about 2 billion years AFTER the Bid Bang. (-1/2) 8.5/10//

** 5/5/11 Challenge #3 **  ** Entry #8: Madeline M ** Purpose: The purpose of this challenge was to have the rocket be able to stop once an amount of light (less than 30) was detected. The wanted result was for the robot to stop once the light was detected, causing it to not fall off of the table.

Relationship to Mars Rovers: The robot relates to the Mars Rovers because the robot reacts is how the rovers also move around the planet.

Challenge 3:

Block 1: Wait Block. This block allows the robot to wait until there is a sound greater than a certain amount of decibels picked up by the robot.

Block 2: Movement Block. This block is what makes the robot move forward and activates the servomotors C and B. This causes the robot to move forward infinitely until stopped.

Block 3: Wait Block. This block cause the robot to wait until it detects an amount of light less than 30.

Block 4: Movement Block. This block allows the robot to stop once it reaches the blue tape in this case. This is because the tape is less than 30 for light level, causing the robot to be able to sense it with the C and B motors.

Block 5: Sound Block. This block is what allowed the robot to say “Watch Out” at 75% volume.



** 6/4/11 History of Robotics~Extra Credit **  ** Entry #7: Madeline M ** <span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Robotics originated around 1495, when Leonardo Da Vinci sketched plans for a humanoid robot. Following this sketch life-sized automatons were actually created between 1700-1900. As created with these other inventions was a mechanical duck that could crane its neck, flap its wings, and swallow food as well. The next invention brought the conveyor belt-base into the world. This new creation was invented in 1913. After multiple different robotic-like inventions, the first true robot was finally constructed in Japan in 1932. It was called the "Lilliput", a wind up toy that walked and stood about 15cm tall. A science fiction writer during 1941 named Isaac Asimov (as seen in Figure 1) decided to write a short story incorporating "The Three Laws of Robotics." <span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Three Laws of Robotics: <span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">1. A robot may not injure and human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. <span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">2. A robot must obey any orders given my human beings, except if such orders would conflict with the First Law. <span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as the protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.



<span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Later, in 1954 the first programable robotic arm was created by George Devol and Joe Engleberger. Soon after this invention came the Soviet Union as they launched Sputnik, an artificial satellite, (as seen in Figure 2) in 1957; marking the beginning of the space race. These creations lead into computers being made, such as the IBM 360 in 1964, to Armstrong successfully landing on the moon in 1969. These discoveries lead to movies about space all the way to robotic competitions, such as the first Robocup Tournament in Japan in 1997. Each of these new breakthroughs in science build on top of each other, becoming more and more advanced e <span style="color: #6600ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">ach year.