**Edison+Engineers+Report

Final report of The Amazing Ride work by the Edison Engineers:

The Amazing Ride By: Edison Engineers Morgan, Abby, Noah, Jacob, and Drew

5 students participated Grade levels: 5th

Our video is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZqVX6CSYA.

We decided to make a roller coaster. The main problem was we didn’t know how the set-up was going to work. We tried putting half of a hose cover as the track. Next we added lemonade containers as supports. We used LED lights to light up water in a translucent container. After we hooked up the water container, we added a tunnel made of cup holders glued together. Later in the track we used dry ice to make steam that the LED would light up.

The materials we used were: Dry ice, plexi glass, LED lights, coin batteries, wires, lemonade containers, a hose cover, wooden and plastic blocks, two cup holders, electrical tape, Christmas lights with an USB port attached to it, three tri-boards, a K’nex roller coaster as scenery, and water.

The problems we faced were not having all the materials we needed at the right times, and not knowing where the items were. We faced the biggest challenge of not keeping our station clean and not working together in the most needed times. People kind of just did their own thing and waltzed in and out. Bringing in new materials solved one of our problems, but it just made the area messier.

To solve these problems we did our best with the materials we had and we also continuously brought in our own materials. The dry ice came in the last day. It has to be the last thing we brought in because it needs especially cold conditions.

We also brought in stuff for decorating and building. Stuff like pom-pom balls, feathers, and a plastic bowl. To get rid of the messy area, me decided, at the end of the day, we will put all of the equipment/material in a few boxes. Then we put them by our area. But it only seemed to work for about a few days.

Ms. White also helped us. Both groups made a list of the items we needed. Not only did she get the items we needed, but she got things that she thought we could use. We ended up using most of the things she thought we could use, and we didn’t use most of the things we wanted. It was like she knew what would happen.

Working with Mr. Borash on the water was an awesome privilege. He is a former High School Science teacher so he came to help us with the electrical parts. Drew was the one who hooked up the water. He hooked four LED lights to the bottom of the container. Then he put a switch to the bottom of each of the wires. When you push the switch they turn on. The LED lights reflect off the water.

When we tested our track it worked so well. There were just a few problems. But that was it.

Some of our teammates wrote individual reports.

Jacob:

= What I have learned about ** LED **=

==== One of the first things I learned was that Led stood for Light Emitting Diode. I also learned was that for an LED light to work, the circuit it is connected to must be closed so that it is a complete cycle. Another thing that I learned was that with the LEDs we were using, no matter how many batteries were being used to power the LED, the light did not become any brighter. I learned that the longer wire-type thing is the positive side and the shorter one is the negative. ====

Drew

= What I have learned about ** LED **=

==== One of the first things I learned was that Led stood for Light Emitting Diode. I also learned was that for an LED light to work, the circuit it is connected to must be closed so that it is a complete cycle. Another thing that I learned was that with the LEDs we were using, no matter how many batteries were being used to power the LED, the light did not become any brighter. I learned that the longer wire-type thing is the positive side and the shorter one is the negative. ====

Noah

What I learn about LED

 The first thing I learn is a LED is a Light Emitting Diode.I learn that to make the LED lights turn on you have to have a closed circuit. Electricity must go through the positive end and the negative end. The positive end of a LED is the longer side. The positive end goes to the positive end of the battery(s) you are using. A open circuit is when the electricity can't go all the way around the cycle.In a open circuit THe LED will not emit light. When working with LED's it is smart to use electrical tape. LED's are fun to watch light up but if you want it to work right you have to follow rules. No matter how many batteries you use the LED won't get any brighter.

Abby:

 I learned that LED stands for Light emitting Diod. I learned a lot about electricity like how to hook up LED lights to switch's. I learned you have to be really creative about how to include everyone's ideas. You need to be able to work in a small or large group. Also you have to listen and also pay a lot of attention to your director or teacher. You need to be able to be flexible with your skills to be able to do both electricity and building.