Solar Sprint Workshop

Transcription

1 Solar Sprint Workshop LEARNING GOALS: After the completion of this workshop, students will understand: 1. Students will understand the concepts of amperage, voltage and watts using Ohm s law 2. Students will be able to calculate how many of the Sol Gear PV cells would be needed for general household uses 3. Students will understand the barriers to widespread PV cell use 4. Students will use critical thinking and troubleshooting skills to perfect their car s operation CONCEIVE What do I wish to accomplish through this project? This stage involves guiding students in defining the goals of the project, then helping them develop conceptual, technical and action plans to meet those goals while considering the technology, knowledge, and skills that apply. This guidance is provided in the form of Essential Questions that use student s preconceptions, and misperceptions then move them toward a deeper and more realistic understanding of the process and skills needed to complete the project. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: 1. How do solar cells convert the sun s energy into electricity? 2. How much sunlight energy does a PV cell absorb? 3. Is it possible to use solar power for all household uses? What are the advantages of solar power? What are the disadvantages of solar power? 4. What is the future of solar power? NOTES: To provide the background information on the above questions use: How Solar Cells Work Toothman, Jessika, and Scott Aldous. "How Solar Cells Work" 01 April March DESIGN - How will I accomplish the project? This stage focuses on creating the plans, drawings and algorithms that describe the product, process or system that will be implemented. Introduce the Sol Gear solar car to the students. Explain that there are instructions on how to build the car but they should be trying to refine those instructions in order to make the car run faster and more efficient. NOTES: The instructions are in Attachment 1. Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM

2 IMPLEMENT - From an idea to a product! This stage refers to the transformation of the design into a product. It includes hardware, manufacturing, software coding, testing and validation. The students should be allowed to have minutes to build and refine their car. Take 20 minutes to go outside and set-up a race course. Have the students race their cars and continue to try to refine their designs as they compete against each other. OPERATE Does it work the way I planned? This stage uses the built product, process or system to satisfy the intended goal. After returning for clean-up here are some Debrief questions: Debrief Questions: 1. What did you find challenging about building the car? 2. What part did you have to spend the most time fixing? 3. Were you able to get the car to function like you wanted? 4. Did you find that changing one part of the car affect any other parts? 5. How would you improve your car and its design? 6. What are some other uses you can think of for the PV cell, motor and other parts? NOTE: Let the students take home the car and extra parts in a Ziplock bag. RESOURCES NEEDED What equipment and supplies do I need? SolGear Our fastest solar car kit, with a 1.5 volt x 500 mamp solar panel and a 50- tooth gear on the driven axle. Easily assembled. This kit includes: 1.5 volt, 500 mamp solar panel with electric motor. motor clip, gears, plastic pulley/wheels and o-ring tires, wooden axles, screw eye axle holders, tweazle, and all necessary parts. Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM

3 Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM

4 NOTES: You can also use the parts list and purchase the parts separately. Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM

5 SET-UP Just have each kit pre-packaged with the correct parts and instructions for each student. Have a Ziplock bag available for them to transport their finished product home. Attachment 1 Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM

6 Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM

7 Colorado State Standards - High School 1. Physical Science Concepts and skills students master: 6. When energy changes form, it is neither created not destroyed; however, because some is necessarily lost as heat, the amount of energy available to do work decreases 3.Earth Systems Science Concepts and skills students master: 5.There are costs, benefits, and consequences of exploration, development, and consumption of renewable and nonrenewable resources Evidence Outcomes Students can: a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based scientific explanation regarding the costs and benefits of exploration, development, and consumption of renewable and nonrenewable resources b. Evaluate positive and negative impacts on the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere in regards to resource use 21 st Century Skills Relevance and Application: 1. Incremental strides have been made in improving the efficiency of different forms of energy production and consumption. For example, today s engines are much more efficient than those from 50 years ago, and batteries are more powerful and last longer than those from just a few years ago. Inquiry Questions: 1. How do humans use resources? 2. How can humans reduce the impact of resource use? Relevance and Application: 1. Technologies have had a variety of impacts on how resources are located, extracted, and consumed. 2. Technology development has reduced the pollution, waste, and ecosystem degradation caused by extraction and use. Colorado State Standards Eighth Grade 1.Physical Science Concepts and skills students master: 2. There are different forms of energy, and those forms of energy can be changed from one form to another but total energy is conserved 21 st Century Skills Relevance and Application: 4.There are ways of producing electricity using both nonrenewable resources such as such as coal or natural gas and renewable sources such as hydroelectricity or solar, wind, and nuclear power. Nature of Science: 3.Use tools to gather, view, analyze, and report results for scientific investigations designed to answer questions about energy transformations. Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM

8 Colorado State Standards 6 th Grade 3. Earth Systems Science Concepts and skills students master: 3. Earth s natural resources provide the foundation for human society s physical needs. Many natural resources are nonrenewable on human timescales, while others can be renewed or recycled 21 st Century Skills Inquiry Questions: 1. What resources are found and used in our community? Copyright University of Colorado Colorado Springs, For permission to use these materials, contact the Director at the Center for STEM