📐 A Laser Arrow Named Timothy

🚀 Launch

Laser Tag: we did a fun “entry event” in which we were divided into two teams. We each had one target (a plastic beaker), a shield (a test divider), a mirror and a laser. We started by trying to strategically placing our shield and target so that the other team couldn’t hit it with their laser.

Then we could try to position our mirror and laser so that we could hit the other team’s target. Our laser had to stay on our side of the class.

 

Then we tried firing our laser.

… it failed. Completely missed the mirror. So we tried again.

… we failed again. The other team hit our target. I learned that it is very difficult to position the mirror and laser so the light hits the target!

 

💡Building Knowledge

Questioning and predicting: Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest. I think I extended on this competency by using all of my class time for working on this project, plus some time outside of school.

Communicating and Representing: Represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms. We used this competency in Milestone 3 and 4.

We did an experiment with a electromagnetic wave simulation.

We tried setting the amplitude and the frequency to different levels then recorded the wavelength (number of cm between two crests)

⬇️ Here is the table we filled out ⬇️

We concluded that Amplitude changes the height of the waves and frequency changes the wavelength.

✅ Milestone 3

For this milestone we got  to do an experiment!

⬇️ We used the scientific method ⬇️

We did this in a group of four which consisted of Teva, Max, Gabi and myself.

First we decided on our question to answer. Then we made a hypothesis.

⬇️ Here is the paper with our scientific discoveries ⬇️

I enjoyed learning the scientific method.

🔁 Devolve and Critique

✅ Milestone 4

This milestone was a huge part of this project. In this milestone we had to design a laser display that showed the Law of Reflection and the Pythagorean theorem. We used a online simulator which was, to be honest, garbage, to create it.

Then we wrote a paper with the scientific method.

⬇️ Here is my first attempt ⬇️

I decided to revise it to get a better grade and test my skills.

⬇️ Here is my final ⬇️

✅ Milestone 5

Applying and innovating: Co-operatively design projects. We demonstrated this competency in this milestone. I am happy that I did better one this competency then in previous projects.

In this milestone we assembled our laser display. We decided to make an arrow, which Teva named “Timothy”.

We measured an labeled it all, then added our lasers… and it worked! (With a few ajustements.) ⬇️ Here it is ⬇️

Then we used Sylas’s smoke machine so we could see the lasers.

⬇️ Here are some pictures ⬇️

⬇️ Here is a video that Dylan took of the smoke machine ⬇️

SmokeMachine

We made a mind map at the start of this project with our questions and previously gained knowledge. ⬇️ Here is my mind map ⬇️

Now to answer the driving question: How can we test the Pythagorean theorem and the law of reflection? I think that we can test the Pythagorean theorem and the law of reflection in many ways. In this project we made a model with lasers to demonstrate the law of reflection and the Pythagorean theorem. In my opinion, this was a very interesting way of proving these two concepts.

I really  enjoyed learning about the law of reflection and the Pythagorean theorem.