TEAM BANNER
Project Description
On the physics side of this project, we had to build a banner that would be hung above our teacher's office to represent our team. We had to come up with a design that best represented us so we decided to create a biker vest and design it as if we were a "biker crew". We were all assigned into groups to help us get to know our classmates better and each group was able to choose which portion of the banner they wanted to build. My group was in charge of the two stars that will be parallel to each other on both sides of the banner which we had to design, cut, and paint.
Physics Concepts We Used
In this project, we learned about how to grid designs to make them into scaled drawings to be sure we knew what the exact measurements would be when it is completed. This is a very important skill that we learned because we used it when creating our own designs that we pitched to the team and for future projects. Real engineers and physicists use draw grids on their blue prints to know how big they want their real object they are building is supposed to be. For example if they draw on graph paper, each box could represent 1 inch so if the object takes up 30 boxes in length, it would be 30 inches in length when actually built. Another important skill we learned is how to properly use the jigsaw to cut pieces of wood. You must make sure it is properly latched onto the table, your hair much be back, everyone around you including yourself has to be wearing safety goggles to prevent any dust getting in our eyes, and you must position your hands a certain way so your dominant hand (whichever hand you write with) is on top guiding the jig saw and your other hand pushing on the trigger.
Personal Reflection
This was personally my favorite project because my group worked really productively together and this was work we were happy about completing because hardly any of it was "basic work" such as packets or worksheets. The entire building and designing process was very hands on so everyday we looked forward to what was going to come next. I think that one of the reasons this project was so enjoyable for my group and myself was because we got to work in a group of our friends so I feel like that had a big impact on our work habits. I am very proud of our portion of the banner because without it, the banner would look incomplete so it really showed how it was a team effort and without the whole team contributing it wouldn't look as great.