M. Schlauch's Blog about Some Things

I was very happy with how my project turned out. I have a much better grasp on the confusing topics that surrounded my science fair, most of which include college-level electrical engineering, and I feel a lot more confident in my design than I used to. I would not have changed anything about my project, as I think it turned out very well. I plan on using the research that I got from this project to help me in my science fair for next year, as I try to combat the issues that still linger in my design. I have grown a lot during my sophomore year, both socially and academically. Socially, I have become a lot more open with people, both friends and family. Academically, I have greatly improved my grades since last year and have worked very hard on trying to break my old habits of not studying or putting all of my effort into the work that I do. Something that I learned about life was that no matter what you do, life is going to throw something bad your way, and you have to make a choice...

I wrote the script for my speech throughout this week and began filming for my TEDTalk today. I started my recording with a dramatic opening about the environmental crisis leftover from the industrial expansion of humans, which transitions into the reasoning for my project, which is to make my Flywheel Energy Storage device more efficient to combat the battery in a desperate attempt to save the world that we live in. The majority of my speech is explanations, since my project has a lot of depth into college-level electrical engineering, and so a very time consuming part of writing it was to make sure the language I used was not overly complicated for a non-scientific individual would understand. I also go into a brief but informative description of my results about the different core designs, as well as how I created and improved on my design. This will also be including the designs that I have planned for the future on how I plan to make the zero-gravity to work, as I would like to us...

I could not get my zero-gravity mechanism to work, since there was a design flaw in my original design that prevented my new mechanism to work. On my old design, the flywheel actually rotates further down that what I anticipated due to the heavy weight attached to the flywheel, and so this extra weight was not accounted for when I was creating my design. My new structures ended up being too far away from the flywheel to make the magnetic fields come in contact with the magnetic fields of the flywheel. However, with this new knowledge, I did come up with an idea of how, in the future (with stronger, industrial magnets and stronger 3D printing material), I could get the design to work, with a structure that surrounds the flywheel rather than only having a set of magnets on the top and bottom. The reason I mentioned the 3D printing material is that one of my structures actually broke while I was assembling the magnets into it, and I had to use glue to repair the design so I could test it....

The formula that I am using is: Energy of the Flywheel= 1/2*Moment of Inertia*angular velocity^2 To find the moment of inertia, I need to use the formula kmr^2 (inertial constant* mass of flywheel* radius squared), which is the moment of inertia for a rotating disk. The inertial constant of a flat solid disk is about .606 . The mass of the flywheel is about 2.5lbs, which converts to about 1.13kg . The radius of the disk is 2.5 inches, which converts to about .064m . Putting this back into the moment of inertia formula, we find that the moment of inertia for my flywheel is about .0028 . To find the angular velocity, I need to convert the RPM, or Revolutions Per Minute, into radians per second, the basic unit for angular velocity. The rough conversion from RPM to radians/sec is about 1 rad/s is equal to 9.55 RPM, which means that 6000 RPM, the max RPM I was able to get my flywheel up to in the vacuum chamber, is equal to about 628.3 rad/s. Plugging this back i...

I began to create the 3D models for my design. I have not fully created the design for how I will get the flywheel to spin in zero-gravity, but I have some ideas. The reason I want to get my flywheel to spin in zero-gravity is because I would hopefully like to figure out a way to get a flywheel onto the International Space Station, which uses rechargeable nickel-hydrogen batteries right now to store its excess solar energy. The benefits of using a flywheel in space is that there would be no need for a vacuum chamber to reduce the air resistance of the system (since space is a vacuum already), which would cut down on the input energy into the system. Furthermore, even though the batteries on the ISS are rechargeable, they are misleading, since they can only recharge for a certain amount of time until the battery is completely dead, which would call for a replacement. This could require an entire rocket dedicated to bringing up a replacement battery that would require a lot of resour...

I was able to acquire a vacuum chamber from my father's work, which was amazing since I was worried that I would have to reach out to multiple companies to see which of them would like to help out a child's science fair project. However, in order to use the vacuum chamber for the least amount of time, I decided to only test the most efficient core in the vacuum chamber, the ferrite core. After my testing in a normal environment, I concluded that there was little to no variation in the efficiency of the core over multiple trials. That is why, in my vacuum chamber testing, I decided to test the core at different velocities to see if there was a correlation between RPM and efficiency. Just looking at efficiency, the vacuum chamber made the ferrite core approximately 7 times more efficient than it had been in a normal environment. This was incredible but also somewhat predicted, since cutting out air resistance to slow down the FES leaves only the small point of contact on...

The book finished on a rather disappointing but reasonable ending, as Bryson and Katz never actually complete the Appalachian Trail. However, this makes sense because they embark on the journey in their late 40s, where some fit people in their early 20s do not get close to completing the trail. However, they made it a lot further than they were expected to, hiking 800 of the 2000 miles that the Trail encompasses. This was very inspiring, as this book teaches one of the most important lessons: never let your condition in life affect what you do. The odds were always against Bryson and Katz, as two older men that looked like they never hiked before in their life. However, this didn't stop the two, and together, through many different trials, they were able to conquer far more than what was expected of them. All in all, this book was amazing, and really taught me a lot of lessons as well as giving me a lot of knowledge on many different topics, most notably on the history of national...

I got my model to work and I was able to set up all of my cores. I have a ferrite core, a laminated core, an iron core, and an air core, all of which service a different purpose. The goal of the cores that I am testing is to see which core works best with a brushless motor-generator, which has no contact. This is why I predict that the material with the lowest electrical conductivity and the highest magnetic permeability will do the best. The first core I am testing is the ferrite core. Ferrite is a metal alloy, composed of different elements such as iron oxides, nickel, zinc, and manganese, and is commonly used in wiring due to its noted success in reducing Eddy Currents. I hypothesized that this core would perform the best out of the four cores because it was specifically designed to reduce the amount of losses in wiring in order to conserve electricity, and I predicted that this feature would also work well with my project. The second core I am testing is a laminated core...

This book is getting very interesting as Bryson journeys and meets new and interesting people. First off, he meets up with his old "friend" Stephen Katz, an out-of-shape drunk that is hoping to find a new meaning with the hike. Bryson, at first, is excited to reunite with his old backpacking buddy, but his wife is worried, since the last trip they went on together was, long story short, a train wreck. However, Bryson needed someone to go with him on his expedition, and Katz was the only one that was daring enough to join Bryson on his insane journey. After the two have hiked for a few days, they meet a young lady by the name of Mary Ellen. Marry Ellen is a cocky, inexperienced hiker that is constantly insulting Bryson and Katz about the shape they're in, critiquing their choices of equipment, and talking about all of her "interesting" life experiences. Bryson and Katz, fed up with the pestering brought by their new companion, come up with a plan to ditch Mary E...

"A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, so far, has been an amazing book. It opens with an insightful description of the Appalachian Trail, the hike that the author would be attempting to conquer throughout the rest of the book. Bryson, an already acclaimed author for some of his other novels, describes how he felt an urge to conquer the longest trail in America just to say that he did it. The main reason I love this book so much is because it is not afraid to stray from crude humor, it is about an amazing, humorous journey through some of the most beautiful parts of America, and it does a very good job of incorporating facts about nature, the Appalachian Trail, hiking equipment, the history of the national park service, and so much more into the flowing story that rarely gets repetitive. Probably one of the best examples of this was when Bryson went to purchase his hiking equipment with his son, where Bryson, a novice hiker just wanting to save money, was blown away by the pri...

There are many laws that apply to my project, mostly having to do with how magnetic fields interact with my system. These laws include Faraday's and Lenz's Law, which are commonly grouped together as they were based on one another, Earnshaw's Theorem about magnetic levitation, the concepts surrounding Eddy Currents, and other electrical terms such as resistivity and magnetic permeability. Faraday's Law and Lenz's Law are very important to my project because they explain how moving electricity through a coil of magnet wire will create a magnetic field. This is important because these two laws explain how my non-contact motor-generator can utilize the magnets on my axis to get my FES spinning. Faraday’s Law explains how the movement of coils along a magnetic field produces a current in the wire. The three ways are to move a magnet through a coil, to move the coil in the x- and y- directions in relation to the magnetic field, or to rotate the coil perpendicula...

     This project is a continuation of my science fair project. For my project, I will be taking a Flywheel Energy Storage Device (FES) and I will be changing a few variables on it, including making it levitate using magnets, putting it in a vacuum chamber, varying the type of metal inside the motor-generators, and I will get it to work in a zero-gravity environment.      As of now, FES devices are primarily used in partnership with different renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar energy, in order to store excess energy in an environmentally friendly way. The way it works is whenever there is excess energy, the energy will go to the FES and will get the flywheel spinning at a very fact velocity. Then, whenever there is no more energy going into the flywheel, the FES will regenerate the stored energy by transferring the energy back through the motor-generator. This is useful because the FES is a very clean way to store energy, and also has an ...

Would Santiago have been happy even if he had stayed with Fatima and did not learn of the Soul of the World?

After the Alchemist and Santiago are confronted by the dessert tribe, the Alchemist bargains his and Santiago's life by telling the dessert tribe that if Santiago cannot turn into the wind in three days, then they can kill the two travelers. This already seems out of place with the cool-headed, logical Alchemist, but the scene that follows contradicts the serious Alchemist even more. After Santiago questions why the Alchemist would put their lives on the line when they were both aware that Santiago did not know how to turn himself into the wind, the Alchemist responds with the snarky remark, "'You're the one that may die…I already know how to turn myself into the wind.'" This seems odd, since the Alchemist basically left Santiago on his own to figure out how to do the impossible. This contrasts the serious and logical outlook of the Alchemist, as he usually does not respond with snarky comments but rather with explanations.

One aspect of this book that I dislike is that whenever Santiago is learning from any of his mentors, they give him some vague advice that would leave almost anyone else confused or struggling, but then Santiago figures out some knowledge about the universe without any explanation. The example that annoyed me the most was after the Alchemist's speech about how you have to listen to your heart no matter what. Before this conversation, Santiago was having a lot of struggle trying to listen to his heart, and this was causing him a lot of distress. However, after a conversation about WHY it was important to listen to your heart, Santiago magically learns how to listen to his heart, as it is said, "The boy continued to listen to his heart... He came to understand its dodges and tricks... He lost his fear, and forgot about his need to go back to the oasis." It bothers me that Santiago was struggling with how he could listen to his heart, and then after a vague and confusing exp...

While Santiago is journeying through the dessert with the Alchemist, the old man relays a lot of knowledge that is very useful to Santiago's journey. However, one of the most important things that the Alchemist talks about is how Santiago always has to follow his heart, even if it is starting to become a burden, because the heart will never remain silent. This is shown in the conversation where Santiago is questioning the Alchemist about his heart's intent and how his heart is keeping him from getting rest, in which the Alchemist responds, "'Well, that's good. Your heart is alive.'" The Alchemist goes on to say that your heart came from the Soul of the World, and will help you find ;your way to the Soul of the World. The Alchemist also says that even if you try to ignore what your heart is trying to tell you, you "will never again be able to keep it quiet," which would put you at a state of eternal unrest.

What happened to the Englishman after he met with the Alchemist? Since later in this section, Santiago does not even return to his caravan friend before he leaves the oasis to continue his Personal Legend.

I dislike how Coelho decided to frame Santiago's development. The growth of Santiago seems very repetitive, as Santiago has some sort of conflict, he gets the help of someone wiser than him, and he continues on his Personal Legend after quoting the person that helped him. First off, after Santiago got robbed in North Africa, he was employed by the Crystal Merchant, who eventually taught him the phrase " Maktub ", meaning "It is written", and Santiago repeats this as he is struggling with the decision to continue his journey or go back to being a shepherd. This again happens with the Englishman on the caravan and then, more noticeably, the Alchemist. While the Alchemist is trying to get Santiago to abandon his post as counselor of the oasis and continue his Personal Legend, Santiago refuses, as he wants to be with Fatima in the oasis. However, after a brief lesson with the Alchemist, Santiago has a conversation with Fatima, saying that he has to go, and repeats t...

While Santiago is meeting up with the alchemist in pursuit of dessert life, Santiago exclaims that he "'want[s] to stay in the oasis'" because he has "'found Fatima,'" who he believes is "'worth more than treasure.'" This exact scene has occurred in different forms throughout the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Santiago has doubts about starting his journey to the pyramids because of the Andalusian girl, who he thought he would marry, as well as his good life he already had as a shepherd. This situation also occurred after Santiago worked with the Crystal Merchant, as he was planning to return to his humble life as a shepherd after he was robbed. Santiago's major flaw is that he always wants to give up his Personal Legend whenever things are going well for him, whether he has found a girl that he loves or he has become very wealthy. It takes a wise person to get Santiago back on track, from Melchizedek to the Crystal Merch...

During Santiago's desert meeting with the alchemist, the old man reveals the future of Santiago if he chooses not to pursue his Personal Legend. According to the alchemist, Santiago, if he decided to stay at the oasis with Fatima, would become very wealthy during his first year, and he would become accustomed to the omens of the dessert. However, as time progresses, Santiago would start to remember his Personal Legend, and would continuously make excuses as to why he was no longer pursuing his dream. This internal conflict would eventually lead to some minor problems in his relationship, and Santiago would live the rest of his life as a wealthy, happy many filled with regret. This was a big moment because this persuaded Santiago to give up his life as the counselor of the oasis and continue his Personal Legend to the pyramids. Without this moment from the alchemist, Santiago would have simply kept with his life on the oasis and would never have achieved his Personal Legend.

What role do you think alchemy will have on Santiago's development? Based on the title, the Alchemist that the Englishman is in search for should have great significance on Santiago, but during his caravan trip, the former shepherd shows very little interest in alchemy.

I dislike one small yet significant part of Coelho's writing. One of the thing that bothers me the most about reading this novel is that many of the characters in the novel do not get names. So far, the Andalusian girl, the Crystal Merchant, and the Englishman have been semi- to very significant to the plot of the novel, as well as to the development to Santiago as a character. The reason I dislike these characters not getting a name is that it makes the characters a lot less connectable and not very memorable (as I had to go look back through the novel to figure out what the "merchant's daughter" was referred to as). Even though I can see how Coelho wanted to use these characters more as symbols to contribute to the development of Santiago, it gives off more of a message that Coelho simply got lazy and did not want to come up with a lot of names for his characters. It even bothers me more that the only two characters that have gotten names so far (even though this is...

Beginning during Santiago's hookah session with the Crystal Merchant, the phrase Maktub  is introduced, meaning "It is written" in Arabic. At this time, the phrase does not have much meaning, but later when Santiago is asking for the merchant's blessing, the merchant says the phrase before he "gave the boy his blessing." Later on, during the caravan trip through the Sahara, Santiago recalls the teaching of the Crystal Merchant as he gazes through the desert in search of meaning. Santiago thinks to himself that his intuition is simply his ability to become one with the world and the past, and then repeats the phrase Maktub.  As the phrase continues to be used throughout the novel, Maktub  begins to lose its true meaning as "It is written" and begins to be used as a peace word, where saying the Arabic word gives Santiago a divine peace.

During their trek through the Sahara on the way to Egypt, Santiago and the unnamed Englishman exchange hobbies; Santiago takes up to reading the Englishman's books while the Englishman attempts to enjoy gazing into the desert to find meaning. However, Santiago makes it clear that he does not find an interest or an enjoyment in alchemy, as he questions why the books that the Englishman carries with him have to be so complex. However, the Englishman's response was truly enlightening, as he says that only those with the "responsibility for understanding can understand" the alchemy books, as it would be a terrible thing for everyone to have the ability to turn lead into gold, as he mentions that "gold would lose its value." Not only does the Englishman do an amazing job at passively attacking Santiago's responsibility, he also makes a very valid point about alchemy, as that only a select few should be able to use alchemy since it would hurt the economy if ev...

Why did Coelho go into so much depth on the Andalusian girl if Santiago never meets her again in the real time of the novel? Since this could easily cause a stronger internal struggle in Santiago if he had to chose between the girl and the journey if Santiago knew that the Andalusian girl still had an interest in him.

I really disliked the idea of the "Personal Legend" because I felt that the idea is very cliche and not well explained. When the idea of the "Personal Legend" is first introduced by Melchizedek, the King does not go into great detail regarding what the Personal Legend is, as he mentions the concept, saying that the book that Santiago is reading "describes people's inability to choose their own Personal Legends," then immediately changes the topic without explaining what the Personal Legend (Coelho 20). I also feel like the idea is overused, with the hero deciding their own fate, and the fact that the concept is glossed over without much explanation does not make the concept stand out as unique in comparison to other Hero's Journeys.

Near the beginning of the novel, while the reader is getting to know Santiago, it is revealed that the adventurous shepherd has fallen in love with an Andulasian girl, the daughter of a merchant that he had done business with. The two meet as Santiago is reading, and Santiago starts going into the details of his journey as a shepherd. Almost a year later, Santiago is anticipating arriving back at the city where he plans to ask for the Andulasian girl's hand. This girl is important because she is one of the main reasons Santiago originally dismisses the journey that the Gypsy fortuneteller sets him on, because if he went to Egypt, he would not be able to see this girl again. This is also one of the major internal conflicts Santiago has after his meet with the King of Salem, as he wants does not want to miss the opportunity to see the Andulasian girl, but also wants to find his Personal Legend in Egypt.

The introduction of Melchizedek, the King of Salem, was a very crucial moment in the plot of this novel since this character is the reason why Santiago begins his journey to the Pyramids of Giza. The King, disguised as a poor, old man, is noted to be a servant of God that points people in the path of their Personal Legends, which is why the King appears to Santiago, a conflicted shepherd that is unaware of his future. Melchizedek confronts Santiago to teach him that, on his journey, he needs to make his own decisions, and cannot rely on others for guidance all of the time. This is shown through his gift of the white and black stones, Urim and Thummim, which would only help Santiago in a time of his desperate need. Melchizedek is seen as the "mentor" in the hero's journey timeline, as he is the person who begins Santiago, the hero, on his journey to find his true meaning in life.