APD Week5 Play and Forces

Theme

This week tends to talk about natural forces like wind, water, temperature, light and so on. Since I'm in the northern hemisphere during summer, I'm going to use solar energy to illustrate the principle of boiling water. My initial idea is to use solar energy and the refraction and concentration principle of the concave mirror to make a small interactive device.

Context

My experiment was inspired by Alternative Controllers. Both non-traditional controllers and the games they enable are referred to as alternative controllers. The creators created from scratch Custom DIY controllers, one of the Alternative controllers (Shake that Buttom 2022). When I use solar energy as an input, and the disc reflecting solar energy device as a medium, the whole ignition device can act as a controller. I can look at the sun's rays, control the orientation of the device, and judge the heat from the sparks and smoke. The device relies on solar energy to light candles and converts them into heat. Water in the bottle is heated to produce steam, which drives the boat.

Method

The method and principle are not complicated. The method and principle are not complicated. Firstly, the assembly of the boat was carried out. I selected the plastic vessel, on which the base and bracket were installed to support the glass bottle containing water. In the experimental stage, a solar lighting device is used to collect and reflect sunlight, ignite the candle, and then simulate the pool in the water basin, and finally put the candle on the shelf. The boiling water in the bottle creates steam to propel the boat.

Reflection

The design of the experiment is not very comprehensive and the conditions are much more demanding. For example, in the reference solar functional device, the principle is not as simple as reflected light. In addition, the prototype of the device is a hot water device, which has a larger plate and more reflective area, better reflecting and concentrating the sun's rays. Currently available small solar devices do not allow candles to be lit smoothly by the device, but instead, need a leaf as auxiliary combustion. The results show that the ignition is disconnected from the boiling steam and that appears to be done in two separate steps.

Reference

Solar water heating, Wikipedia, viewed 20 August 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_heating>.
About alternative controllers, Shake That Button, <http://shakethatbutton.com/about-alternative-controllers>.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/IpC4qg4HL9o