TED Challenge Questions

1.     The TED is a non-profit organization who introduce new worthy ideas or inventions to the people

2.     Their website is to share all the ideas and inventions people have made. The functionality of the website is pretty straight forward, gives you a wide variety, but if you want you can narrow it down by a set of categories or search whatever you want

3.     I think the technology category has the most interest. Personally I like seeing or hearing about a new piece of technology because it makes me wonder how they came to make such a technological advance. Collaborating with the class, we need technology to design and build everyday materials, such as a car. An engineer can build a car from scratch easy, but he needs the right tools and technology to do so and with new technology these tasks for engineers become easier and more productive.

4.     There is Erica Frenkel, who presented a universal anthesia machine that doesn’t require the hospital’s energy to work. There is Taylor Wilson, who presented a nuclear fusion that he created himself when he was just 14 and states that nuclear fusion is our country’s future energy source. Also there is Ayah Bdeir who presented building blocks of technology that were easy to understand just as legos.

5.     http://www.ted.com/talks/erica_frenkel_the_universal_anesthesia_machine.html

*The dangers of anthesia machines failing during a surgery because of a hospital’s power outage

*The story behind the origin of the machine and its inventor

*The features of the new and improved machine

*Why is it becoming more popular to hospitals and why it is better to have

*Costs of machine

   

6. I could involve myself in medical engineering to further help out the issue chose. I would need medical training, engineering training, and design training.

Egg Drop Challenge

Idea Generation Achievements

Brainstorming-Create a sketch of one possible solution. Include labels.*
-Create a sketch of another possible solution. Include labels.*
-Create a sketch of a third possible solution. Include labels.*
-Use a decision matrix to justify the approach you chose.

Material Prep
-Generate a list of materials required for build day.*
-Document a plan to ensure materials are brought in on block day.



Build Achievements

Material based Achievements:
(your egg is not included in the material size)
(air is ubiquitous and not included in material size. "Rare" commodities like helium are.)
-Your materials fit inside a printer paper box*
-Your materials fit inside a shoe box
-Your materials fit inside a cigar box
-Your materials fit inside an Altoids box

Material Weight:
(your egg is not included in material weight)
-Your materials weigh less than 500 grams.*
-Your materials weigh less than 300 grams.*
-Your materials weigh less than 200 grams.*
-Your materials weigh less than 150 grams.
-Your materials weigh less than 100 grams.
-Your materials weigh less than 50 grams.
-Your materials weigh less than 25 grams.


Drop Achievements

Drop Accuracy:
-You hit the butcher paper!*
-You hit inside the third ring!*
-You hit inside the second ring!*
-You hit inside the first ring!*
-You hit the Bullseye!*


Drop Time:
-Your solution takes less than 1/2 second to hit the target!
-Your solution takes more than 2 seconds to hit the target!*
-Your solution takes more than 3 seconds to hit the target!
-Your solution takes more than 4 seconds to hit the target!
-Your solution takes more than 5 seconds to hit the target!


Egg Resilience:
-Your egg didn't break in any way! (awarded three times)*
-Your egg didn't break in any way! (awarded three times)*
-Your egg didn't break in any way! (awarded three times)*


Calculation Achievements
-Describe an aspect of the event using arithmetic.
-Describe an aspect of the event using geometry.
-Describe an aspect of the event using algebra.
-Describe an aspect of the event using calculus.
-Seek out additional instruction from your math teacher in support of a Calculation Achievement.



Communicate Results Achievements
-Create promotional materials for your design.
-Model your solution using CAD software.
-Create a multiview drawing of your CAD model.
-Dimension your multiview drawing.



Other Achievements
-Help set up the Bullseye.
-Come up with a clever name Mr. Olson uses for an existing Achievment.
-Design an Achievement Mr. Olson approves for next year's Egg Drop Challenge.
-Suggest a redesign to the activity that Mr Olson confirms he will use for next year's Egg Drop Challenge.
All achievments with stars were acomplished
We earned 17 achievments

2.1.6 CAD Project

2.1.5 CAD Model

Model Airplane



The model airplane project was an extensive, creative, and team building experience. I remember constructing a model airplane as a kid before, but not to this extent. It was a nice challenge to see how much detail and how every small part comes together in such a (in some words) simple machine. Personally I enjoyed cutting the material apart and actually using measurements to put the pieces together even though that was the most straining part. The glue in my opinion was not the most efficient way to hold the pieces together. It was quite messy and a few times my team and I had to re-glue pieces because they kept moving out of place. What was a really cool part of constructing was our way of improvising. We ended up not having the back hook piece which connects the rubber band to the rudder. Instead of quitting or complaining, we improvised and used a bent paper clip as a replacement. Given it made the plane less efficient than the others built by our classmates, it still managed some air time. In all the best part is the finished product and the testing, it was fun to wind the rubber band down to the nub before launching it into the air. This project was both an advantage to our class and our social building with our classmates.

Khan Academy Video Review

http://www.khanacademy.org/math/geometry-1/core-geometry/v/30-60-90-triangles-ii

This video was helpful because it revealed a new method in finding out a side. In class for the shorter leg it was always core variable meaning say x was the shorter leg and the hypotenuse was x times 2, but in this it was the hypotenuse divided by two  which equals the shorter leg. Also in class we were taught it was the shorter leg time the square root of three, but in the video it was the square root of 3 divided by 2 and times the hypotenuse. It was a new method and seemed easier than what was taught in the classroom

Money Ball Questions

1)       What was the “Moneyball”approach that Billy Beane and Peter Brandt applied to the Oakland Athletics 2002 season? Was it an “art” or a “science”? What single statistic did they boil their value consideration down to?

Billy Beane and Peter Brandt applied the science of statistics. They are taking players percentages and averages to pick for the team not just how well they play.

2)    What is the equation used to calculate OBP?

The full formula is (Hits+ Walks+ Hits By Pitch)/(At Bats+ Walks+ Sacrifice Flies)

3)    What is design?

Design is the preparation by plan for a task to be executed

4)    Describe 3 situations where movie characters (intentionally or not) applied a step from the PLTW 12 Step Design Process. Explain both the (a) situation as well as (b) how the step is relevant:
1 – Define a problem: After the Athletics lost their best players, the team had to recruit an all star team on a small budget

2 – Research and generate ideas: Peter told Billy the use of statistics on how he should pick the players he should recruit

3 – Select an approach: Billy and Peter used the average of OBP’s of players to figure out who they should pick

5)    What is “Leadership”? List the three aspects of leadership that we come up with in class.

1 - Direction
2 –Alignment
3 –Commitment

6)    Describe 3 circumstances from the story where a character exercised effective leadership:
1 – The start of use of statistics to pick the next ball players

2 -

3 – Billy committed to using this new way of recruiting all throughout the season

7)    According to the movie, what was the A’s record at the start of their winning streak?

68:51

8)    What does this ratio simplify to (roughly)?

7:5

9)    How long was the A’s record setting winning streak?

20 games won

10) Given the A’s win/loss ratio at the start of the streak (listed two questions above), what are the odds of winning 20 games in a row? Run the numbers.

.000013

11) Based on your calculation, do you think the A’s got lucky or was there something to the Moneyball approach?

I think the A’s new approach brought them to this record. Billy and Peter used percentages instead of how well they have been playing lately.

12) Did Billy Beane strictly apply the “science” of Moneyball to his management approach? Was there an “art” to his efforts as well? Describe a circumstance where he broke from the Moneyball approach to make a positive change for the team.

He used the science and art of the new management method. Billy broke away from the usual keeping players for seasons, Billy consistently traded players with other teams to work at his advantage.

 Bonus Question (look into this if you’ve finished ahead of the class):
Money Ball was originally a book. What author wrote the book? What other books has this author written? Is there a theme to his writing?

The author was Michael Lewis and he has also written the Blindside, Swing Your Sword, and Coach. His theme is, a sport can change in a way no one could ever think or comprehend. Just because it is different doesn’t mean its not effective