test+STEM+Page

=**STEM Scientist Notebook**=


 * ==**Key Vocabulary-** ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt == || ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt ||
 * Hygrometer - instrument for measuring humidity in the air ||  ||
 * Humidity - amount of water vapor in the atmosphere ||  ||
 * Sensor - device that measures something ||  ||

**Internet Resources-**

 * http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/dewrh.shtml**


 * http://www.worldweatherweb.com/images/hygrometer2.jpg**

**Procedure-**

 * 1. Use student reference sheet for information**
 * 2. Work as a group to draw a design for a hygrometer made of our supplies**
 * 3. Build the hygrometer**
 * 4. Test the hygrometer**
 * 5. Collect data**
 * 6. Present hygrometer and data to the class as a group**
 * 7. Complete the Student Evaluation Form**

=**Journaling**=

// (record thoughts during each stage) //
8/4/10 - We looked at images of hygrometers. We saw that Leonardo Da Vinci created one. Here is the picture of his hygrometer. We looked up newer hygrometers, too. We found one that looked like a speedometer. This would be cool to build. There was also a digital one. We can't build that for sure.
 * =__Planning Stage__= ||
 * ===Notes:===

We looked at the materials and decided we can't build a new style one. We have to build one like the old fashioned kind.

Then we picked Chris as the drawer...artist...to draw what we all talk about as our ideas. We added a picture of our diagram. || = = = =
 * ===Images: // (optional) //===

= = = = || 8/5/10 - We got our supplies and we chose a plastic cup, rubber band, cardboard arrow (we made it with cardboard), and a straw.
 * =__Constructing Stage__ ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt = ||
 * ===Notes:===

We used the rubber band to hold the straw on the cup. We tried to make it work and it would not. We needed a the straw to have a place to pivot on and we didn't have anything to get wet.

We made a new diagram of our new ideas and got our new supplies. We took a picture of our new diagram then we tried to build the new one.

It looks really good. It seems like it will work. But we did have one more problem. We couldn't get the arrow to stay straight because our other side was too heavy. We took some of the cotton balls and sponge off until it was even weight. We will check it tomorrow to see if it works. || ﻿  || 8/6/2010 We will begin testing our hygrometer by applying our humidity (water). First we added 4 sprays of water to the hygrometer and the arrow moved up three marks. Next we sprayed 8 times and the arrow moved twenty notches. We did had a problem with our design. The rubber band would not stay in place. We fixed it by taping it. ||
 * ===Images: // (optional) //===
 * =__Testing Stage__= ||
 * ===Notes:===
 * ===Data: (optional) === ||
 * ===Images: // (optional)[[image:IMG00050-20100805-0829.jpg width="160" height="119"]][[image:IMG00051-20100805-0829.jpg width="160" height="119"]][[image:IMG00052-20100805-0830.jpg width="160" height="119"]] //=== ||
 * =__Evaluating Stage__= ||
 * ===Notes: We think our hydrometer really worked. We put a zero on our gauge chart but we really don't think the start point was zero. There is probably some humidity in the air already. So the zero really was just our normal or what was already in the air. Our hydrometer did show when more humidity was added.=== ||
 * ===Images: // (optional) //=== ||

=Student Evaluation Form= // (teacher-made assessment questions to be completed by the group at the end of the unit) //

1. Did you succeed in creating a hygrometer that indicated a change in humidity? Yes.
2. What aspect of your design do you think worked best? Why? The arrow and the straw worked well. It made it easy to see when it moved.

3. What hygrometer "engineered" by another student team did you find most inspiring? How did it work better than yours, or what feature did you appreciate that the other team came up with? We looked around and saw that some of the teams had taped the rubber band all the way around the cup to make it much more secure.

4. Did you decide to revise your original design while in the construction phase? Why? Yes, that is why is why we had to have two designs. We had to add a cardboard fulcrum and a water absorber.

5. Hygrometers have been measuring humidity for hundreds of years. Do you think that technology has improved the hygrometer? Now they have digital ones that are easier to read and probably more reliable, but they do need batteries and the old ones didn't.

6. How durable do you think your hygrometer is? Would it be able to continue to work for a week, two weeks, a year, a decade? What would you have to do to your hygrometer to make it reliable for a longer period of time? No. Ours is not durable. We used cardboard and a folder. If it was used a lot the cardboard would dissolve. The straw we used has a bendy spot and probably won't stay strong. We would need to use stronger materials like a coat hanger wire in place of the straw and plastic in place of the cardboard and folder.

7. Do you think you would have been able to complete this project easier if you were work alone? Explain... Tracey - I don't like doing science by myself because you don't have anyone to discuss the ideas with and talk about solutions. Chris - Other people on my team saw stuff I didn't notice. Shannon - Working with people is great and it makes it fun.

8. If you could have used a material or materials that were not provided to you, what would you have requested? Why do you think this material might have helped with the challenge? We wanted some stronger straw like a coat hanger piece or a skewer. It would have made ours stronger.

9. Can you identify five sensors in your school building? 1. Air conditioner control 2. Smoke Alarm 3. Toilet flusher 4. thermometer 5. motion sensor for the alarm

10. What was your favorite part of the challenge? Design Phase? Building Phase? Testing Phase? Why?