Popsicle stick bridge/ Seismograph

Title Page Project Explanation - For this project, i had to create a bridge out out of popsicle sticks that could support some weights. I also had to make a seismograph that could record some movement from a small movement to a big one.
Technological Concepts - The technological concepts in the popsicle stick bridge were compression, tension, torsion, and shear. Compression squeezes them  together, tension pulls them apart, torsion twists the material, and a shear causes parts of the bridge to slide past one another in opposite directions. The technological concept for the seismograph is the Richter Scale, which measures the magnitude or strength of an earthquake.
Learning Goals - The goals for this assignment were to create a stable bridge that would look good and support as much weight as possible. We wanted to use as many popsicle sticks in the bridge as we could so that it could give it the most strength possible. The goal for the seismograph was to make something that could record the movements and be able to differentiate between the forces. 
Description - For our bridge, we had to use 120 popsicle sticks or less and create a unique design that would be able to hold as much weight as possible being put on top without it breaking.

Description - For our seismograph, we hung a pencil on a hanger from wood and placed a piece of paper under it to record the movement. We also glued on a weight to the pencil so that it would be heavier so that the pencil could be seen on the paper so that it would record the movements.

Positive Feedback - Our bridge ended up looking really cool and it performed well, too.
Redesign - i would probably do the same thing for the bridge but i would design a different top and bottom. for the seismograph i would have tried a completely different design because the one that we did didn't work very well
Technological Resources - Every thing we used in both projects were found in the room. For the bridge we had 120 popsicle sticks and glue to use. For the seismograph we used scrap pieces of wood, tape, a hanger, a pencil, paper, and a weight.
Biggest Challenge - The hardest part of the bridge was getting everything to lie up so that the design worked the way that it was suppose to.;The biggest challenge was getting the pencil in the seismograph under control so that it would actually make a mark on the paper and record the movements. When it was attached to the string, it just swung around randomly, but when we used the hanger, it was more stiff so it had better control when it was being shaken.
What I Learned - In this assignment, I learned that it is very difficult to make a seismograph and there are unexpected complications in every project. 

Mouse Trap Car

Introduction: For this project we had to design a car that could be powered by a mousetrap. We were  somewhat limited to the materials that we had  to work with but if we could find something that would be useful then we could use it.

Technological Concepts: The main thing that we had to consider when we were designing our vehicle is how big of a wheel we wanted. If we had a small wheel then it would spin faster propelling the car forward with decent speed, or we could go with a bigger wheel that would turn slowly but would cover a lot of ground with just one spin of the axle.

Learning Goals: one of the learning goals there was for this project was to learn how the different size wheels would effect the car when the axle is turned. 

Design Brief: we decided to go with the small wheels so that when the mousetrap is let go the car would build up speed so that when the mouse trap has stopped then the car will continue to coast along and gain more distance. 

Positive Feedback: I liked this assignment because it helped me learn how to fix problems that keep coming up for different reasons. It also helped me work better with the trial and error process.

Redesign: I f i were to do this project over again i would try to get lighter material so that the car has less mass to weigh it down. I would also get a material that is more smooth to set the axle on so that there is less friction on the axle so it could turn easier.

Technological Resources: we used the materials given to us and shaped and put together our mousetrap car with the machines and tools in the lab. me and my partner also used a computer to look up and resarch different designs.

Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge for me was trying to deiced what design I wanted to go with  because I didn't know which one would work the best. this lead to me half way through restarting so that the car could be lighter.

What I Learned: something that learned in this assignment is how the size of the wheel can effect the speed and distance.