Static Electricity Motors – Collaboration Fluency

Material	Lucite	Copper	Glass	Straw	Wood	Spoon	Ebonite	Aluminum
Silk	Attracts	Vibrates	Repels slightly	Attracts slightly	Nothing	Attracts	Repelling	Nothing
Cotton	Attracts	Nothing	Nothing	Attracts	Nothing	Attracts  slightly	Attracts slightly	Vibrates
Polyester	Attracts slightly	Nothing	Vibrates	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing	Repelling a lot	Nothing
Animal Fur	Repels a lot	Vibrates	Attracts	Repels a lot	Nothing	Attracts a lot, then repels	Attracts slightly	Vibrates
Wool	Attracts	Vibrates	Nothing	Attracts	Nothing	Attracts	Attracts then repels	Vibrates
Plastic	Attracts slightly	Slightly repelling	Nothing	Nothing	Slightly attracts	Attracts slightly	Attracts first, then repels	Nothing

 

During these past two classes, we have been testing a variety of materials, to see which combination would create the greatest static electricity charge. We began with different rods composed of one material. We had Lucite, which is practically a plastic stick, Copper, glass, a flimsy plastic straw, a wooden stir stick, a rod of ebonite and a aluminum rod. Next we gathered several different cloths, silk, cotton, polyester, animal fur, wool, and plastic garbage bag. Our next part of experiment we, all took turns, recording the information, and charging the rods. We all observed the effects together. We put together all the possible combinations for getting a charge and I would say that Lucite was the most successful rod overall. The best cloth material would be animal fur, when charged with nearly all the rods it had an affect. We have come to a group decision to use a rod of Lucite and animal fur to be our combination for our static electricity motors.

 

 

• What skills and strengths do each of the group members have to help you accomplish this project? (mention names and skills)

 

1. 1. •  Emily- Strong leader, keeps everyone in tack, efficient
      • Maddy- Dedicated, good time management, artistic
      • Claire- Creative, collaboration, keeps people together
      • Megan- Thinks outside of the box, sociable, confident in public speaking

 

• How are you going to divide up the workload? What roles and responsibilities are assigned for each person?

 

1. •  Maddy – Recorder
   • Megan – Racer
   • Emily – Racer
   • Claire – Timer

 

 

• What rules do you want to have regarding your collaboration? (e.g. equal workload, deadlines met etc.)

 

1. • Everyone will keep inside the timeline
   • Everyone will get an equal workload
   • Listen to others
   • Encourage others ideas

 

 

• What will you do if these rules are not being followed?

 

We will talk as a group to make sure everyone is on track, start again with fresh ideas.

 

 

• Do you have any questions regarding the task that need to be answered? Do you understand the requirements of the project?

 

The project seems quite clear. 

 

 

• What goals for the task do you have for the group?

 

We hope to get everything done on time, completed to the best of our abilities, and hopefully exceed the expectations or do generally well on our evaluation marks.

 

 

• What will the final outcome or product look like and what information is needed to accomplish the task?

 

Our final product will be able to move the ruler and at a reasonable pace. We will need to see what materials work best together to create the biggest charge to move the ruler.

 

 

• If you were to break down the task into manageable pieces, what would the timeline look like, knowing that the project is due March 7? (add names and dates)

 

We take turns recording the information while two people are testing two different rod + material combinations at once. Our other person neutralizes the pith ball so one of the two ‘chargers’ can test their charge. It worked out pretty well and quite efficient.

We have chosen Subway as our sponsor and a Ferrari engine!