Our project was supposed to help build a foundation for buildings that was to be completely earthquake proof. Our idea was to make the buildings float with magnets! We wanted the design to be a crater in the ground that was outlined with magnets. Then the building would have a spherical bottom that fit in the crater but was covered in magnets that would repel the other magnets and cause flotation. But as we tried to get this to work the more and more we realized that this method of earthquake proofing would be very expensive and would have to be extremely precise with very powerful magnets. In the end my group decided that this would be a very inefficient way to earthquake proof anything and would cost about the same as a medium sized African country.
Concepts
Magnetism- an electrical field that reacts with other electrical fields in different ways
Forces- any push or pull acting on an object
Engineering Design Cycle- 1. Define the problem
2. Research
3. Brainstorm
4. Develop Prototype/Solution
5. Test Solution
6. Communicate Results
7. Rewind
Reflection
Our group was a bit problematic in terms of research but otherwise we agreed on most decisions and nobody was unhappy. W also didn't work too hard all the time, but enough to get our project done. We didn't get our project to work but we were able to admit that it didn't work in the end. With more supplies and further testing our prototype might have worked.
Concepts
Magnetism- an electrical field that reacts with other electrical fields in different ways
Forces- any push or pull acting on an object
Engineering Design Cycle- 1. Define the problem
2. Research
3. Brainstorm
4. Develop Prototype/Solution
5. Test Solution
6. Communicate Results
7. Rewind
Reflection
Our group was a bit problematic in terms of research but otherwise we agreed on most decisions and nobody was unhappy. W also didn't work too hard all the time, but enough to get our project done. We didn't get our project to work but we were able to admit that it didn't work in the end. With more supplies and further testing our prototype might have worked.