Thursday, October 27, 2011

Card Board Canoe Achievments

Total Achievements: 16


Our New Boat Design (Next Time)

Our Final Product
Our Final Product (Different Angle)



Design Achievements(Listed in Previous Blog Post):
• Define the Problem and Brainstorm Solutions - State the problem you are designing a solution for. List at least 20 ideas you have regarding your solution.
• Criteria & Constraints - List or reference the specified Criteria and Constraints you're designing for. List at least one implied criteria. List at least three implied contsraints.
• Sketch Ideas - Draw 3 different sketches for possible designs. Label at least 3 key features for each sketch. Describe the feature's functionality so a viewer understands why the called out feature is important.
• Prototype Ideas - Craft physical prototypes (models) of each of your three sketches. Use a notecard or post it note to call out at least one key feature on each model. Post the images to your blog and describe the key feature that you've pointed out on each.
• Select an Approach - Generate feedback (+, change, ?, !) and make a decision matrix regarding your sketches/prototypes. Specify the approach you've chosen and justify your selection.

Build Achievements:
• Build It! - Build your watercraft. Document it with a presentable photo.
• The Early Bird Gets the Achievement - Awarded to the team with the fastest build.

Test Achievements:
• The Fastest - Awarded to the first team to reach the far side (25yds)
• The Farthest - Awarded to the team that can travel the furthest (laps)
• The Longest - Awarded to the team with the watercraft that floats the longest (multiple teams may be awarded this achievement if multiple boats remain afloat at the end of our competition period).
• Balance Master - Awarded if you can have at least one person stand for 5 seconds in the boat (you must conduct this away from the edge of the pool so that non one falls over and hits their head)

Reflection Achievements:
• Feedback - Generate ten items of feedback for your effort (from the design/build process and/or the actual product). Make sure you include at least one item of feedaback in each of our four feedback areas (+, change, ?, !)
(+)-Our Design was very simple. This simple design allowed the boat to float normally. The extra cardboard and duct tape helped a lot. Duct Tape allowed our boat to float the longest and the extra cardboard allowed two people to be inside the boat.
(change)-The flat tip on our boat needs to go. It created more drag in the water and made our boat slow down. Next time, we need to add duct tape to all the places so water won't seep in. We need to put the duct tape tighter to reduce water from seeping in.
(?)-Would a fin or rutter add better control? Should we have made it slightly skinnier to make it go faster?
(!)-We should of added a better design! It would of looked really cool if we added different colors of duct tape too.
• How Low Did You Go? - How low in the water did your canoe sit (roughly)? Was it suprising how little your boat went down in the water? What is the unit weight of water in pounds? How much did your pilot weigh (roughly)? Use math to help explain the depth that your boat sat in the water.

-Our boat only sunk about 3' inches into the water when our pilot a.k.a. Chase Fischer who weighs roughly 135lbs, was inside of it. That means that because water is about 8.3454 pounds per gallon, our boat displaced about 16.2 gallons of water.
• Redesign - If we were to do another Carboard Canoe race next semester, what would you build? Draw from everything you experienced in your class and propose the most competative solution. Include a sketch with key features and dimensions labeled.

-If we were to build another boat , I would keep everything pretty much the same except I would add a pointed nose.
• (Make Your Own Achievement) - Make an achievement of your own design that you can award yourself for something awesome your team did. (Example "Transformer" - although our canoe sunk, our team was able to convert it into a surfboard style design and continue competeting!)
-Two Man Boat for at leats 60 seconds-Our boat was able to float well two people; it lasted about ten minutes until water seeped through.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Card Board Canoe: Rules/Brain Storming

Design Achievement:

Brain Storm Solution
-1. Big Surface Area
-2. Lots of Duct Tape
-3. Lots of Cardboard
-4. Good support
-5. Use Duct Tape instead of Staples
-6. Save enough Cardboard for the sides
-7. Don't Waste Duct Tape
-8. Efficient Design
-9. Size:not to large or too small
-10. Duct Tape in inside
-11. Reinforce the sides
-12. Extra cardboard on bottom for extra floation
-13. Everyone needs to bring in duct tape
-14. Team members need to get more cardbaord
-15. Tape everything up so cardobard doesn't go in the pool
-16. Every team member helps so no one gets tired
-17. Research ideas for easiest design
-18. Research the buoyancy equation so the canoe will float
-19. Lightest person goes in the boat
-20. Build padel for speed
-21. Add rudder for control
-22. Add more cardboard to bottom for more floation

Criteria and Constraitnts
-Only Duct Tape and Cardboard can be used
-Each boat must have a 3 inch wall
-All exposed cardboard must be convered with Duct Tape
-Some material will be provided but we'll likely need more
-Materials added that aren't approved will end in disqualification

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Cardboard Canoe!

Prototypes:


Our First Design
+:It was a great design; simple and had good aerodynamics.
Triangle-A little bit too complicated for the ammount of experience we had and required a lot of duct tape
?: Will it require too much time?
!-Make the nose flatter; easier to build
3 Features-This design had a pointed triangle nose, flat bottom and had the typical boat shape.
Key Feature-The key feature of this design was the triangle pointed nose.


Our Second Model/Design(The one we ended up using)
+-It was a very simple design so we couldn't really mess it up and it ended up floating quite well.
Triangle-We needed to make the bottom slightly curved so it would be more aerodynamic.
?-Will this design be fast or slow?
!-We could have added a fin more control over the steering.
3 Features: This model did not contain a pointed nose(Flat) but the nose was put an at an angle, had a flat bottom, and with moderate high walls.
Key Feature: Flat nose tip was the key feature of this design.


Our Third Design/Model
+-It would have been very buoyant; we would know that this would float for sure.
Triangle-Make the design so it would be able to have some speed or control.
?-Will we have enought materials to make this design?
!-If your going to make this, you need lots of duct tape!
3 Features- This design was completely different. Its base was mad like a raft(cardboard was made like logs), seemed very buoyant, but had no walls.
Key Feature: The log base was the key feature of this design.




Our Third Model


Our First Model/Design



Our Second Model

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Assembly Challenge Submission

Total Achievements=7





















"Give Help"- I gave help to Federico when he me how to use constrains to line up his blocks.

"Recieve Help"-Andrew helped me change the texture of my blocks and taught me how to use constraints when I didn't understand how to use them.