For this project, we were tasked with creating a solution to a problem surrounding water. Our group chose to tackle water purification. We first learned about the flint water crisis to understand how purification failed, and then we designed a machine that could filter and then boil water. The machine is compact and self sufficient, utilizing solar power and a lithium ion battery to keep the machine running for 24 hours. We wanted the machine to be available to people in third world nations who don't have access to clean drinking water.
our presentation
Concepts
Voltage-The potential difference from one end of a component to another.
Solar Power- Power from the UV rays created by the sun.
3D Printing-The process of making physical 3-dimensional objects from digital files.
Filtration-The separation of solid from liquid.
Chemical Bond-A lasting attraction between atoms, ions or molecules that enables the formation of chemical compounds.
Agar-A gelatinous medium used for bacteria to grow on.
Solution-A mix of a solvent and a solute.
pH-pH or potential of hydrogen, is a scale used to measure how acidic or basic a liquid is. pH is measured on a scale of 1-14 with higher pH means more basic, while lower pH means more acidic.
Bacteria-A group of single celled organisms with cell walls, but lacking organelles. Bacteria spread extremely quickly, and some can be harmful to organic life.
Virus-An infectious agent that consists of a nucleic acid molecule. Virus are most often harmful to organic life.
Reflection
Overall this was a pretty good project, some definite peaks were seeing the water filter actually work in filtering out large debris and seeing how the boiling of the water killed a lot of bacteria, making the water cleaner. A pit would be failing to create a practical filter the first time around, it leaked and didn't make a good yield, but I overcame that and made a new, efficient filter. Another pit would be when we almost destroyed another groups project and nearly melted their tube and exploded some glass on a hotplate, I learned that I should definitely look before I leap in those situations. Overall, it was a fun project and I got to learn a lot about how hard it is to make clean water.