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Modeling
Project
Developed by Dr. Jeff Froyd, Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology
Instructions to Students
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1. |
Project
Description
Esoterica, Inc. has developed some powerful mathematical
modeling tools. To help market the tools, a series of
application notes (reports) must be developed to
demonstrate the capabilities of these tools. Each team
has been assigned the task of developing an application
note (report).
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2. |
Developing the Application Note
The application note will contain
a description of a physical process;
a description of quantity or quantities which change
over time;
a description of an apparatus to measure the selected
quantity (quantities);
two or more mathematical models, e.g., differential
equations, functions, which predict the measured
behavior of the quantity (quantities); and
graphs showing how well the models predict the
behavior and a comparison of two or more examples of the
physical process.
At least one of the mathematical models should be based
on physical principles: Newtons laws of motion,
conservation of mass, conservation of charge, etc. That
is, you should explain why one particular form of the
model was chosen. Additional models may be constructed
solely through empirical methods, for example, curve
fitting. To stimulate your thinking consider the
following examples.
Example 1: Measure the position of bouncing balls as
functions of time and estimate velocity, acceleration,
and coefficient of restitution as a result of the
measurements. The coefficients of restitution for many
different types of balls, e.g., golf balls, soccer
balls, basketballs, may be compared.
Example 2: Measure rate of heat transfer from a flask
containing vinegar and sodium bicarbonate. Rates of heat
transfer for flasks of different shapes may be compared.
Example 3: Count the number of popcorn kernels in a
package of microwave popcorn that have popped as a
function of time. The curves for different brands could
be compared.
Example 4: Measure the mass of growing crystals as a
function of time. The curves for different compounds may
be compared.
Example 5: Measure the mass of wood that has burned as a
function of time. Burning rate for different types of
wood may be compared.
Example 6: Measure the number of cars that pass a point
on a road as a function of time. Curves for various
roads or different times of day may be compared.
Esoterica, Inc. believes the originality and creativity
of your application, e.g., nature of the physical
process, approach to measuring the selected quantity or
quantities, uniqueness of the model proposed, will
encourage sales of its mathematical modeling tools.
Therefore, your application note cannot use any of the
examples that have been provided. In addition, several
teams of employees prepared application notes in
1995-96. Systems on which application notes were based
should not be duplicated. |
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3. |
Project Tools
Here are some of the tools which could be used in
preparing your application note: Maple, Excel,
ultrasonic ranging equipment in the physics laboratory,
audio input and processing capabilities of your notebook
computer, and chemistry laboratory equipment.
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4. |
Project Deliverables
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Proposal:
A one-page proposal that describes the
physical process, the quantity (quantities) to be
measured as functions of time, and the proposed
measuring scheme. Proposals will be reviewed and
returned. If the proposal is unacceptable, a second
proposal must be submitted.
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Progress Report:
Progress reports, including submission of project
notebook and brief oral presentation.
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Final
Report
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Application Note
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5. |
Review Criteria
The coin of the realm is competency blocks. Therefore,
numerous competency blocks may be awarded depending on
the quality of your application note. Factors that will
be used in determining the quality of the application
note include the following.
Creativity. Esoterica, Inc. believes
originality and uniqueness of the application will
stimulate sales.
Thoroughness and organization of your project
notebook. Esoterica, Inc. is interested in patents
that may be derived from your work. Patents must have
documentation supporting dates of discovery. Entries in
a bound project notebook must be dated and signed by the
person making the entry.
Scientific soundness of your measurement
technique and model development.
Mathematical creativity and depth of your model
selection and analysis.
Presentation quality. Appearance, organization,
and validity of the application note will impact sales.
Punctuality. Final application notes must be
ready by the deadline or Esoterica, Inc. may be
overtaken by the competition.
Contributions to the team effort. Each team
member will be asked to assess the contributions of each
member of the team. These assessments will be used in
awarding competency blocks to each member of the team.
Not all team members will receive the same number of
competency blocks. The number of competency blocks that
each team receives will depend on the assessment of
member's contributions by the faculty and the members of
the team.
Team effectiveness. Esoterica believes that its
employees should become more effective team members.
Therefore, your ability to improve team maintenance and
team effectiveness will impact the number of competency
blocks earned. Ways in which team maintenance will be
assessed include direct observation, records in the
project notebook, and performance during oral
presentations.
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Instruction to Students
©2002, Jeff Froyd
These materials may be duplicated for educational purposes
if properly credited.
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