The energy efficient house was our biggest project to date. There was so many little projects inside the big picture. This was one of the most fun projects to. We learned so much in this project from sun angles to how to keep plants warm in the winter. Our group consisted of me, Ben, Shannon, and Camille. Even though we did little project in thIs big project there was a goal: to keep plants from freezing in the winter and the other side of the project was to find a way to get light into the north window on the solar studio that was built by last year's freshman.
The Coldframe
For the Coldframe we had to create a structure that would keep plants warm in the winter but not bake them in the summer. The structure would also have to be able to be move to different areas. Our Coldframe was made of plywood, wooden supports, and plastic sheeting. We chose to use plastic sheeting instead of the window that was provided because the plastic sheeting was Very light and easy to switch out or move.
The Coldframe
For the Coldframe we had to create a structure that would keep plants warm in the winter but not bake them in the summer. The structure would also have to be able to be move to different areas. Our Coldframe was made of plywood, wooden supports, and plastic sheeting. We chose to use plastic sheeting instead of the window that was provided because the plastic sheeting was Very light and easy to switch out or move.
Physics Concepts
Convection- It is the transfer of heat through fluid (liquid/gas). We saw convection in our solar water heaters.
Insulation- Insulation is a bad conductor. It does not transfer heat well. Most of our walls use insulating materials: rigid foam, spray foam, and fiberglass.
Conduction- It's the transfer of heat through a solid. Materials that are good at conducting are copper pipes used the solar water heater.
Radiation- This is the transfer of heat through waves. We get radiation from the sun.
Heat- It is a form of thermal energy (unit: J).
Thermal Conductivity- It's the rate at which material transfers heat
Thermal Resistance- It's the ability of material to resist transferring heat
Specific Heat Capacity- It is a constant for a substance that measures how slowly it heats up
High Specific Heat- Something that warms up slowly and holds lots of heat well like water.
Low Specific Heat- Something that warms up quickly and loose heat quickly like iron.
Convection- It is the transfer of heat through fluid (liquid/gas). We saw convection in our solar water heaters.
Insulation- Insulation is a bad conductor. It does not transfer heat well. Most of our walls use insulating materials: rigid foam, spray foam, and fiberglass.
Conduction- It's the transfer of heat through a solid. Materials that are good at conducting are copper pipes used the solar water heater.
Radiation- This is the transfer of heat through waves. We get radiation from the sun.
Heat- It is a form of thermal energy (unit: J).
Thermal Conductivity- It's the rate at which material transfers heat
Thermal Resistance- It's the ability of material to resist transferring heat
Specific Heat Capacity- It is a constant for a substance that measures how slowly it heats up
High Specific Heat- Something that warms up slowly and holds lots of heat well like water.
Low Specific Heat- Something that warms up quickly and loose heat quickly like iron.
This project was really fun but very long. At some points I wished it would come to an end but I was happy with what our group and what we created. I learned a lot from this project and how to be patient. The coldframe model was very frustrating to build because it kept breaking and doing things that I did not want it to do. Overall this was a good experience and I am happy with what we created.