Define Problem
Project management summary- we evenly spaced out are time to get everything done in time. We gave more time to the more important issues like testing and refining the design. The smaller things like brainstorming, selecting on approach, and defining the problem could easily get done in one day. As for dividing responsibilities we did it based on our strengths and weaknesses. Carrie did most of the communication, recording, researching, planning while I did more of the hands on activities.
2. Brainstorming
4. Explore possibilities
We individually tested coffee filters, cotton balls, grass, gravel, and sand. The coffee filter was the only one that gave a good result achieving a turbidity of 58. The rest either came out more turbid or very cloudy. If you combine the elements though, the will work to gain a better result.
5. Select Approach
6. Develop a Design Proposal
7. Make a Prototype
8. Test and Evluate
Jake and I actually stumbled upon our best model by accident. We just tested the cotton balls and coffee filters alone without and sand/gravel/charcoal/etc. and found that that worked a lot better. We layered cotton balls. 5 coffee filters, and the coffee filter dish and received a turbidity of 11.4 NTU. We realized the more coffee filters you had the better the turbidity was and and when adding sand and other materials it just made the water more turbid unless you filtered it greatly. The coffee filter dish helped to filter out the large particles. We still wanted a better result since drinkable water is under 5 NTU.
9. Refine and Design
Our first design worked really well earning a 11.4 NTU but we strived for better. We thought of a way to decrease turbidity without adding any extra particles. So we ended up adding a sponge between the coffee filters and the coffee filter dish. This decreased the turbidity by .5 lowering our result to 10.9 NTU. Since our first design worked so well we did not need a lot of refining. When we tested our design again the next day the same way, the turbidity came out to 9.0 NTU.
10. Conclustion
This project took us through the steps of the design process. It really emphasized that one needs to follow the design process so when we get to our capstone project we are familiar with the process. At first we had to define a problem which was purifying water. After that we had to brainstorm and research to gain a good idea of what would and wouldn't work. We then tested different materials and then came up with a few possibilities. . A decision matrix was used to use the best approach and then we model and tested the design. After modification we came up with the final product. I learned that one needs to follow the design process so everything can be completed and done correctly, I also learned that teamwork is very important and that research is a big factor on the final result. Testing your results are also very important. What I would have done differently next time is follow the design process in order because in the beginning we skipped around a little bit and some time was wasted. I also would have kept records better because when we were testing materials we were being kind of messy which I think altered some results. For next year I think some improvements would be to try and keep group ideas strictly to the group because I noticed some groups doing the same ideas (I don't know if this was from research or not). Overall we learned how to solve a problem by testing and refining ideas.