October 27, 2008--Designing a Rube Goldberg Device
The physics involved in a Rube Goldberg machine makes it much more interactive and easy to demonstrate than other chemistry energy concepts. The real-world size and actions engage an Argonaut both mentally and physically, and like most students, I'm a hands-on learner.
The Argonauts needed to use some creative planning in order to discover different methods to transfer the energy. This use of engineering combined with physics, along with our host researcher's mathematics, helped me develop those subtle connections between sciences that create the society of scientists working in the world today.
With our Rube Goldberg machines, we added energy back into the system using height and more potential energy. Obviously, if we didn't use more potential energy to keep the chain going, our system would run out of energy. This emphasizes that the simplicity of tsunamis makes them deadly. As Toba and I soon learned, simple is good.
The Argonauts sorted through a plethora of trinkets to be used for the Rube Goldberg machines. To make the assignment more interesting, the materials were simple: tape, string, magnets, toothpicks and dominoes among other things. Fortunately, the film crew gave us time to experiment with these materials before the actual filming. The matches particularly interested the team, and fire soon became the ultimate goal. We became very discouraged after a few attempts, but science requires patience and dedication in order to discover the solution.
Toba and I constructed a very complex Rube Goldberg machine, but almost every trial failed to raise the JASON flag. We incorporated advanced techniques including a Newton's cradle and a lever after completely scrapping our first construction. The machine of Madhu and Bryan was simpler and controlled both visually and in motion by utilizing simple ramps and the predictable characteristics of gravity. Their pink tape was also very attractive and demonstrated Bryan's feminine side as a teacher at a girl's school.
While the Madhu and Bryan design performed flawlessly every single time, Toba and I produced only one perfect trial… out of ten. Disappointed but not disheartened, I recalled the wisdom of my teachers back in Virginia and reminded Toba that we learned more from a failure than from a success. While we lost the competition to create a cooler machine, we observed energy transformations and learned the value of simplicity. A simple machine was just as impressive as a complex machine when they're performing the same function.
October 29, 2008--Constructing a Tsunameter
The usefulness of measuring pressure to detect a tsunami goes back to the basic characteristics of a tsunami. A tsunami is really nothing more than a pillar of energy flowing through the water. While the sea floor is unaffected by wind and tides, a tsunami's energy will move the Deep Pressure Recorder very slightly. Pressure decreases as you reach the surface of the ocean, so the Deep Pressure Recorder will sense a drop in the pressure of the surrounding environment. This measurement can be thrown into a formula, and the computer will alert the scientists of the tsunami. It sounds complicated, but it's all just algebra.
Chris the engineer and the Argonaut team began our exploration of the Tsunameter at its heart: the Deep Pressure Recorder. This delicate device consists of a curled tube of metal with oil inside and a crystal (like a diamond crystal). The small metal tube acts like a party noise makers; when pressure builds inside the tube, it has a natural tendency to extend. A small wire is attached to the tip of our party blower, and the tightening of the wire causes the crystal to emit a different frequency. This small device is no larger than a flashlight but is the most important part of the whole buoy.
Next, the Argonauts meddled with the information transmission system that acoustically relays information from the Deep Pressure Recorder to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration base. For a lack of better words, I can best describe the strange clicking noise of the acoustic machines as a call from a robot dolphin. Chris had two computers hooked up to the equipment for our typing enjoyment. Maybe this technology could be used in the future to send text messages from underwater civilizations. We were all very worried that the acoustics would interfere with whale calls, but Chris reassured us that this technology doesn't interfere with the wildlife.
The next part of our contraption for assembly was the buoy. We loaded six large batteries and two transmission devices on board, because the buoys must survive alone at sea for several years at a time.
After assembling the Depth Pressure Recorder and the buoy in the laboratory, we took these parts out to the loading warehouse. Using the anchor and the coil of shark-resistant rope as a foundation, Chris helped the Argonauts lift the 1-ton buoy onto the anchor using a crane. After bolting the buoy to the rope, the Depth Pressure Recorder was latched in a special, shock-absorbing notch on the anchor so the $20,000 equipment wasn't damaged during the launch off the boat. Now the Tsunameter looked like a compact, box-like structure that we transported outside using a forklift. I had the honor of bolting the skeleton and final cover to the buoy as Chris compared his sea-going expeditions for tsunamis to a crabber. Both drop heavy, compact equipment out at sea in an attempt to track an unseen target. His job may be tougher than you would expect from a scientist, but this technology has saved and will save many civilian lives.
Q&A with Argo Tim:
What are some of the tools that scientists can use to advance knowledge?
The biggest tool a researcher has available is the work and findings of other researchers. This communication and interconnection isn't just between people, but can also be seen between sciences, subjects and ideas. Many scientists theorize that Homo sapiens survived while Neanderthals died because modern humans have the ability to communicate and cooperate. Sometimes we may compete for an answer, but ideas eventually merge into combined theories or solutions.
With the Rube Goldberg machines, the two Argonaut teams competed for the coolest machine, but we both shared the great ideas that worked the day before. Also, Dr. Titov talked to the Argonauts over dinner about working with mathematicians to develop his models. Dr. Titov's use of science combined with mathematics and computer technology helped me develop those subtle connections between sciences, as well as other school subjects. For example, science is the search for knowledge, while history is the use of our past to make predictions for the future. Mathematics is a universal language used to support science, while English and other languages are used to communicate our knowledge and ideas. We constantly use a combination of these subjects to effectively advance our human search for knowledge.
How do models help scientists communicate with one another?
Models may seem like a pain to make, but they can save a lot of time later. Dr. Titov uses computer generated models to predict the behavior of tsunamis in areas that have never witnessed a wave taller than three feet. Whenever we explain the properties of heat on a subatomic level, we always refer to a model of vibrating atoms. A model is a very useful way to communicate an idea without confusing anyone with words and waving hands.