This is the speech we gave with a powerpoint presentation on our topic.
The world problem we chose was drought. This is a huge problem that most of the world faces, and we are facing right now.
Drought is defined as a period of low rainfall, or the lack of water resulting from such conditions. They can be declared after as little as fifteen days.
Drought is an interesting problem because, as a shortage of water, it can create it’s sister problem: a shortage of food. Lack of water over an appreciable period of time can lead to crop yields dropping considerably, and local animals migrating away in search of water. It can also increase the price in food. Drought is also spreading quickly. Governments are saying that half the world will face water shortages by 2030.
While we aren’t affected by all of these conditions, California is definitely suffering from shortage of water. We are also not producing nearly as many crops as we normally do, forcing many farmers into poverty. Worse of all, because we aren’t making as much money as normal, our government can’t afford to put too much into fixing the drought.
The most obvious way to stop a drought is to simply use less water. However, there are solutions like desalination, which turns salt water into potable water. There are also solutions like fog gathering and dew gatherers, which attempt to take the moisture from the air.
There are many simple solutions that you can do to help the current drought in California, such as using less water on landscaping, by watering your lawn less, and planting succulent plants that live on less water. Some, more obvious actions to conserve water, are taking shorter showers, buying low-flow toilets, and basically only using water when you need it.
Desalination refers to the process of separating salt water into two things: brine and freshwater. One of the ways this can be done is by simply heating salt water until it evaporates, then collecting the water vapor that rises up. There are several variations on the exact way in which this process is performed, but the energy cost of heating up the salt water makes it too costly on a large (and possibly small) scale. The other process involves forcing water through a membrane that separates it from the contaminants. This too requires electricity, unlike most of the other processes. The one upside is that you can mass produce clean water, instead of just hoping you’ll get something.
Fog gathering is the process of using net-like structure to gather molecules of water from the air. It is very efficient, and it can create lots of water after a single day. A single fog collector with an area of 40㎡ will create an average of 53 gallons per day. This may be small compared to desalination, but it is completely free to operate after assembly.
Dew gatherers attempt to make dew form on them, which they then collect and store. They all work on the principle of how dew forms. Dew forms when a surface is colder than the dewpoint of the air around it. The dewpoint of air varies according to the temperature and the humidity of the air. Because of this, most dew gatherers utilize a large amount of metal or rock, both of which stay cold for long periods of time.
We decided against desalination quickly, as it was too expensive to test. Next, we tried to make a dew collector, but the air was not warm enough, so that didn’t work. Then, we chose to make a fog collector, since we have seen proof of it working, and there is a lot of fog near us. Due to time, we were unable to actually collect fog and get water from it, but if we actually applied it to the real world, we would have done more extensive research and would have made a better model to successfully collect the water from fog.
We believe that the best way to end the drought would be to construct many scaled-up fog collectors on elevated areas, since fog forms high up. Another thing we could do would be to put it out on the market, so that people could gather their own water, instead of relying on California’s fast-vanishing groundwater.
To start, we’d probably construct fog collectors on the local mountains. To get permission to do this, we would need to talk to Marin County Open Space. Different places are owned by different people, but Marin County Open Space has the rights to many of the mountains around here. We would also need to get money to buy the materials needed to make the fog collectors, so a fundraiser would also probably be necessary. We would then do more research, and make them available to the public.
Drought is defined as a period of low rainfall, or the lack of water resulting from such conditions. They can be declared after as little as fifteen days.
Drought is an interesting problem because, as a shortage of water, it can create it’s sister problem: a shortage of food. Lack of water over an appreciable period of time can lead to crop yields dropping considerably, and local animals migrating away in search of water. It can also increase the price in food. Drought is also spreading quickly. Governments are saying that half the world will face water shortages by 2030.
While we aren’t affected by all of these conditions, California is definitely suffering from shortage of water. We are also not producing nearly as many crops as we normally do, forcing many farmers into poverty. Worse of all, because we aren’t making as much money as normal, our government can’t afford to put too much into fixing the drought.
The most obvious way to stop a drought is to simply use less water. However, there are solutions like desalination, which turns salt water into potable water. There are also solutions like fog gathering and dew gatherers, which attempt to take the moisture from the air.
There are many simple solutions that you can do to help the current drought in California, such as using less water on landscaping, by watering your lawn less, and planting succulent plants that live on less water. Some, more obvious actions to conserve water, are taking shorter showers, buying low-flow toilets, and basically only using water when you need it.
Desalination refers to the process of separating salt water into two things: brine and freshwater. One of the ways this can be done is by simply heating salt water until it evaporates, then collecting the water vapor that rises up. There are several variations on the exact way in which this process is performed, but the energy cost of heating up the salt water makes it too costly on a large (and possibly small) scale. The other process involves forcing water through a membrane that separates it from the contaminants. This too requires electricity, unlike most of the other processes. The one upside is that you can mass produce clean water, instead of just hoping you’ll get something.
Fog gathering is the process of using net-like structure to gather molecules of water from the air. It is very efficient, and it can create lots of water after a single day. A single fog collector with an area of 40㎡ will create an average of 53 gallons per day. This may be small compared to desalination, but it is completely free to operate after assembly.
Dew gatherers attempt to make dew form on them, which they then collect and store. They all work on the principle of how dew forms. Dew forms when a surface is colder than the dewpoint of the air around it. The dewpoint of air varies according to the temperature and the humidity of the air. Because of this, most dew gatherers utilize a large amount of metal or rock, both of which stay cold for long periods of time.
We decided against desalination quickly, as it was too expensive to test. Next, we tried to make a dew collector, but the air was not warm enough, so that didn’t work. Then, we chose to make a fog collector, since we have seen proof of it working, and there is a lot of fog near us. Due to time, we were unable to actually collect fog and get water from it, but if we actually applied it to the real world, we would have done more extensive research and would have made a better model to successfully collect the water from fog.
We believe that the best way to end the drought would be to construct many scaled-up fog collectors on elevated areas, since fog forms high up. Another thing we could do would be to put it out on the market, so that people could gather their own water, instead of relying on California’s fast-vanishing groundwater.
To start, we’d probably construct fog collectors on the local mountains. To get permission to do this, we would need to talk to Marin County Open Space. Different places are owned by different people, but Marin County Open Space has the rights to many of the mountains around here. We would also need to get money to buy the materials needed to make the fog collectors, so a fundraiser would also probably be necessary. We would then do more research, and make them available to the public.
For this project, we chose to work on the world problem of drought. I won't go into great detail, since I already have above, but we considered several solutions, and eventually decided on making fog nets, which collect moisture from the air. We then built a scale model (shown on the right), and made a slideshow to convince people that our idea was the best way to combat, or end, the drought.
Concepts Used:
We didn't use any new physics concepts.
We did use the engineering design and build cycle, though, which I haven't talked about yet. This cycle has 9 steps, shown below:
1.Identify the need
2.Research the Problem
3.Develop possible solutions
4.Select the most promising solution
5.Construct a prototype
6.Test and evaluate the prototype
7.Communicate the design
8.Redesign
9.Repeat
It is important to note that this cycle is not rigid. You can, and often do, go back steps. This can be for many reasons. For instance, in this project, the first prototype we made was of a dew collector. When it became obvious that this wasn't going to work, we skipped steps 7-9 and went straight back to step 5 (construct a prototype). We learned how to use 3-D modeling software. We also used an assortment of power tools. Finally, we used our experience in writing persuasive arguments from English to write our speech.
We didn't use any new physics concepts.
We did use the engineering design and build cycle, though, which I haven't talked about yet. This cycle has 9 steps, shown below:
1.Identify the need
2.Research the Problem
3.Develop possible solutions
4.Select the most promising solution
5.Construct a prototype
6.Test and evaluate the prototype
7.Communicate the design
8.Redesign
9.Repeat
It is important to note that this cycle is not rigid. You can, and often do, go back steps. This can be for many reasons. For instance, in this project, the first prototype we made was of a dew collector. When it became obvious that this wasn't going to work, we skipped steps 7-9 and went straight back to step 5 (construct a prototype). We learned how to use 3-D modeling software. We also used an assortment of power tools. Finally, we used our experience in writing persuasive arguments from English to write our speech.
Reflections:
One thing I did well in this group was leadership. From my prior experiences and this one, I have concluded that I am only an effective leader when there is no other source of direction. If there is another leader, I return to my role of worker and adviser.
Another thing that I did well was the power tools. In previous units, I had let others operate the power tools, but this time, I decided to try to do it myself. It was actually much easier than anticipated, and this will definitely help in later units.
One thing I didn't do well was motivation. Though I repeatedly asked my group-mates to help, Sophia and Eliza were both constantly being distracted by Dean. Eventually, I ended up doing a lot of the work myself, with Sophia helping out occasionally.
The other thing I didn't do well was choosing a group. At the beginning of this unit, I was offered a spot on two groups. I felt very bad about choosing either, because it would disappoint the others. Eventually I decided to choose Dean's group. I now think that I chose wrong.
One thing I did well in this group was leadership. From my prior experiences and this one, I have concluded that I am only an effective leader when there is no other source of direction. If there is another leader, I return to my role of worker and adviser.
Another thing that I did well was the power tools. In previous units, I had let others operate the power tools, but this time, I decided to try to do it myself. It was actually much easier than anticipated, and this will definitely help in later units.
One thing I didn't do well was motivation. Though I repeatedly asked my group-mates to help, Sophia and Eliza were both constantly being distracted by Dean. Eventually, I ended up doing a lot of the work myself, with Sophia helping out occasionally.
The other thing I didn't do well was choosing a group. At the beginning of this unit, I was offered a spot on two groups. I felt very bad about choosing either, because it would disappoint the others. Eventually I decided to choose Dean's group. I now think that I chose wrong.