Update on Energy Project

So basically, this week my blog post is dedicated to updating you all on my project and how it is coming along. I have mentioned before that my project was based on stopping the use of my dryer and hoping to see some type of decrease in my energy bill. This week has been my second week or so of keeping up with my experiment. The ironic part in this all, is that my dryer actually broke a few days ago therefore there is no option but to actually hang out clothes. I must say it is really not that hard to hang laundry onto a clothes line. So far there are many lessons that I have learned throughout this project. For example, it is good to save money but it takes actual effort to save a few bucks. Another thing I learned from this project is how easy we have it these days. We have machines to do everything for us, from washing dishes to drying clothes. Drying clothes is a task that can done freely by using the power of the sun. I often wonder why we pay money to complete a task when it can be done for free?

Here I inserted a picture of the sun, to remind us how beautiful it really is and how much money it can save us on our energy bills. So far throughout this experiment I have realized how useful of a tool this is, and it really is so valuable. Hopefully at the end of this experiment I can fully appreciate the greatness of the sun and find/discover a way to use it to it's full potential. 

Sound Waves & The Doppler Affect

In the physics classroom this week we learned all about sound waves. In this unit of sound waves a large topic was the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect can be observed whenever the source creating waves is moving relative to an observer. The Doppler effect is often defined as the effect created by a moving source of waves in which there is an increase in frequency for observers who are being approached by the source and a decrease in frequency for observers from whom the source is receding. I know that is a lot of information in just one section, but I will insert a diagram used in class to help you understand what exactly is going on.

So I inserted this image from google to further help you understand what exactly the Doppler effect is. This diagram is pretty self-explanatory as to how it works and what it is. If a moving object is moving away from you the sound waves being emitted will reach you with low frequency and long wavelengths. As opposed to someone who is standing in front of the moving object as it moves towards you. The sound waves they receive will have high frequency and small wavelengths. 

Waaaater Wavessss

When you think about waves, what are the first waves that come to your mind? Well for me it's water waves from the ocean. In class we learned that wind creates the waves in the ocean. All my life I just believed waves were something that just comes and goes with the tide. But after this week, I learned so much more about waves and how complex they really are. To start off, let me address three factors that affect the size of waves: 1) Speed of the wind 2) Period of the wind 3) distance of the water the wind will blow. With these three factors in hand we can image that the biggest waves happen when the wind is blowing fast, for a large amount of time, and where there is distance to blow these waves. Some other properties we learned about when it came to waves, are the different parts of a wave. For example every wave has a crest, which is the very tops of the waves. The opposite of the crest in a wave, is the trough which is basically the lowest points of the wave. Vertical distance from trough to trough is known as the wave height (amplitude). The distance from crest to crest is known as the wavelength. Waves also have a property of time, which is the time between each wave. Waves typically travel very fast in deep water, but slowly in shallower water. The reason for this is because of the specific orbits in the wave having to do with it's energy. When the orbits start to hit the bottom and slow down the wave, this creates wave breaks. There are three types of wave breaks: 1) spilling 2) plunging 3) surging waves. Spilling wave break gently at the top of waves and spill to the front. Plunging waves happen when a wave goes from deep water to shallow water relatively quickly. Surging waves create a bulge near shorelines when they break. These type of waves rush up shore quickly and rush back just as quick. Below I inserted a video link to a video my friend and I shot at the Sandy's that display different kinds of breaks. From what I know I would assume that the waves at Sandy's are considered surging waves because of how they rush up to shore and back out quickly. But, correct me if I'm wrong. Leave a comment down below :)


http://iconosquare.com/viewer.php#/detail/702321157105352112_9800094

Explaining Wave Superposition

This week in class we discussed the principle of superposition. The principle of superposition: when two waves interfere, the resulting displacement of the medium at any location is the sum of the displacements of the individual waves at that same location. This principle can be applied to waves whenever two or more are traveling through the same medium at the same time. When these waves pass through each other they do not cause much disturbance. This principle has much to do with the interference of waves. The interferences can either be constructive or destructive it all depends on certain qualities of the waves. Constructive interference happens at any location throughout the medium where two waves have a displacement in the same direction. In this type of interference typically both waves have an upward displacement. Destructive interference occurs at any location throughout when two interfering waves have a displacement in the opposite direction. These qualities result in the waves becoming flat and ultimately destroying each other. In this type of interference the waves are basically canceling each other out.

Above is a picture of two transverse waves interfering with each other to create a constructive interference. In the diagram you see how they come together to form a large wave but eventually continue to flow and pass through each other. 

What are Waves?

This week in class, we were introduced to a new topic. We started to talk about waves and what they are exactly. Well basically a wave is a disturbance or oscillation (vibrating) that travels through a medium from one location to another. A medium is defined as material that carries the wave. There are various types of mediums in the universe. Another thing we discussed is the two different types of waves. Transverse waves and longitudinal waves. Transverse waves have energy that moves perpendicular to the wave motion, while on the other hand longitudinal waves contains energy that moves parallel to the wave motion. Some examples of a transverse wave include, ripples on a pond or an actual WAVE in a stadium or sporting event. An example of a longitudinal wave is like a sound wave. Below I have included a video of my brother singing

This would be an example of a longitudinal wave because he is creating sound waves. Although we are unable to actually visually see the sound waves we are able to hear them. These waves are created by the oscillation or the vibrating of Duke's voice. His vocal chords vibrate to create this noise that we hear that is considered a longitudinal wave because the energy is traveling parallel to wave motion. 

Multimeterssssss

Recently in class we have been learning about circuits and how they work. In doing so we were introduced to a tool known as a multimeter which helps us to find different values for certain things such as resistance, current, and voltage. This tool is very useful because it allows us to get accurate values without having to do it manually with equations. This is what a multimeter looks like:

(http://media.onsugar.com)

As you can see in the picture above the dial is what tells the multimeter to measure. The two prongs coming out of the multimeter are used to put onto the circuit directly so that we can measure the values. The numbers on the screen are obviously going to be the values. Typically multimeters will also give you the unit in which the value is being measured. Another use for a multimeter other then in physics class is to check if a battery is dead or not. Therefore multimeters are a very useful piece of equipment that makes the world a much better place. 

Energy Saving Project

This week in class we were introduced to a new project in which we will be starting. Basically what we are doing is analyzing our energy usage and ways to lower our consumption. In this project we will use various skills that we have used thus far to calculate numbers and figure out what we can do as an individual to lower our electric bill. In my household my family spends about $24.50 on using the dryer alone. It does not seem like a lot of money but in the end it adds up. My job while doing this experiment is to lower that number and save my family money. My plans include to simply just direct my family to hang our laundry instead of using the dryer. I believe that if we stay strict to our plans we really can lower our electric bill. My only fear for this project would probably be that my family members will not participate fully causing my predictions to become false. All I can do is hope for the best and do my part of the project. Another obstacle I might face though, is not being able to have solid evidence that my efforts were successful. I say this because my family cannot always provide me with an electric bill to prove the money saved for each month.

A vital part of this experiment is to create a lab report. Mr. Blake had mentioned that he will be grading us based on another persons opinion. Therefore I must make my lab report as thorough as possible so that a stranger who has no idea what this project is about will be able to understand what is the goal and what I am trying to do.

This is a picture of my washer and my dryer is on the side.