1.3.1 FUEL CELL

PARTNERS: Rajas Kothari, Conner Wolfe, and Eric Rivera  

SUMMARY:

In this activity my team had to power a small vehicle using different power sources: a solar panel, a fuel cell, and a battery.  We used the electricity from the solar module to separate hydrogen from oxygen, harness the hydrogen, and then use the hydrogen as fuel. As part of successfully accomplishing the assignment, we were required to learn how to safely interact with the Heliocentris Fuel Cell through the Fuel Cell User Guide. After constructing the vehicle, we were required to measure various values of the energy flowing through the car at certain points to demonstrate our ability to correctly use the multi-meter as well as our understanding of voltage, current, resistance, and power in both circuits in series and parallel. 

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REFLECTION:

Learning:

This assignment was very eye-opening for me, applying my knowledge of breadboards and circuits aided me in understanding how the vehicle as a whole functioned. I learned how to use my motor skills to construct a given model and add my own little variations to aid in my study of the machine. I had the opportunity to expand my ability to take in a great deal of information when I read the Fuel Cell User Guide in one sitting, and measure the degree to which I remembered how to use the fuel cell by safety guidelines. It also was a good chance for me to review how to use a multi-meter and draw on the information I learned in AP Physics 1 last year. 

Improvements:

I do not think there was many areas of improvement for this project considering it was only construction and testing, but if I had to choose one, I would have improved my efficiency in constructing the machine (in terms of the time taken to accomplish it). If I had done it quicker, it may have saved me some measurement effort and stress. What I took away from this project was an increased desire to interact more with various materials and tools to create a product. Interacting with new and various materials along with the respective tools to measure and construct seems very enjoyable to me, as I appreciate the sense of accomplishment that comes with creating a final artifact.