Designing a Clock

In the third and final unit of Light, Sound, and Time, we learned about Time. Moreover, we studied how gravity affects time and how time and space are related. We also looked at different time telling devices and instruments like pendulums and sundials. For the math section of the unit, we learned how to figure out longitude and latitude, how to calculate arc length, and how to calculate the period of a pendulum. For our Action Project, we were asked to design a time telling device based off of our research we did on ancient clocks.

For my clock, I combined the main ideas from each unit into one device. The clock I designed uses Light and Sound to communicate the Time. In order to tell the time with light, the device starts dim and gradually increases/decreases the brightness as the day goes on. While when the peak of brightness happens is programmable, it would originally be set to noon to mimic the real sun. In order to tell time with sound, a constant sound is emitted throughout the day with a increase/decrease in frequency as the day goes on.

Similar the light aspect of the clock, the sound tells time by increasing/decreasing the frequency and can also be programmed to have the peak happen at different times of the day. The program that the device would be set on when it was first turned on would be to start emitting a sound with a frequency of 150 Hz at 12am. For 12 hours until noon, the sound would increase in frequency at a rate of 0.4861 Hz per minute. Once it hits the peak of 500 Hz it would start to decrease at the same rate until it hit 12am again to repeat the cycle. Also, the volume is adjustable and comes with the option to toggle it on and off so the sound is not bothersome.

Like we learned in unit two, the frequency of the sound wave is tied to the pitch of the sound. The higher the frequency of the wave, the higher the pitch. Also, we used the equation 340.29 m/s (speed of sound)= wavelength x frequency. If we wanted to test this equation, we could look at the lowest frequency of the clock (150 Hz) and find its wavelength by dividing the speed of sound by 150 Hz. So, 340.29/150= 22.686. The wavelength of a wave with a frequency of 150 Hz is 22.686 m.

Primarily this clock was made to be a cool and new way to tell time. However, it also allows people who are either blind or deaf to see or hear time. People who need this device to tell time are more likely to buy it so that is why it was designed with those people in mind. But, there is no limit on who can enjoy the device. Also, because there is the option to program the cycle of the sound and light, the user can make it so they wake up to a soothing dim light and a low but relaxing tone.

The idea of using light to tell time is not new. The most common example of how ancient civilizations practiced this is the sundial. The earliest record of the use of the sundial goes all the way back to ancient Egypt. To tell time, the sundial relies on the sun's change in position in the earth's sky. As time goes by, the shadow casted by gnomon (the part in the middle of the sundial that sticks upward) gets moved around the face of the sundial.  To read the time, people just see where the tip of the shadow is casted around the numbers on the face (just like a traditional analog clock). My clock is  similar to this old time invention because of its use of light. However, my design is in no way an improvement of this ancient clock. The sundial would be a way more accurate way to tell time than my device would be. However, my device was not made to be a precise way of keeping track of time. It was more for a novelty and to help those who cannot see a normal clock.

The measurements of the clock would be approximately 5in Tall x 10in Long x 3 in Wide. Because of this, the volume would be around 150 in^3.

Citations

Marie, Niclas. "When Time Began: The History and Science of Sundials." Time Center. TimeCenter,

n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

Disaster Movie Review

In my elective term course Ollywood at GCE, we learned about the art of filmmaking. In our studies  we looked at the three major parts of making a movie. Pre-production, production, and post-production. While learning about each part, we watched various films to compare our findings to popular films and visited a variety of places that work in the field of film or have a great deal of experience. My favorite of these Field Experiences was to Morning Star. Even though Morning Star wasn't a film company, they had a large space and dedicated employees to making videos for advertisement. The reason why it was the favorite was because we got to see lots of all the cool and professional equipment they had in their studio. For the Action Project for this course, we were asked pick any movie and create an extensive review on it. In our review, my partner GA and I analyzed Disaster Movie. We specifically picked this movie knowing how bad it was because we thought it would be much more fun to review a movie that we both enjoyed making fun of.

Rhetorical Response to Gun Control

In the first Unit of Rhetoric, we learned how to use and classify different rhetorical devices and appeals. We looked at many modern day and past examples as well as imagined situations to find the context, speaker, and audience. On our field experience to the history museum, we gained further knowledge on how ethos, pathos, and logos can be seen and applied in unique objects. For this action project, we were asked to respond to a political question rhetorically. My question was: How should the issue of gun control be handled in the US?

Script:
One of the longest debates in US politics is the issue of gun control. The premise of gun ownership dates all the way back to when the 2nd amendment was ratified in 1791. Even though this amendment was agreed on over 200 years ago, it’s still often used today as an argument to oppose the idea of stronger gun control in the US. However, some people fail to accept that the amount of violence since then has only gone up. While the US does have laws in place to try to prevent gun violence, it seems they are doing almost nothing. “From 1998 to 2008, about 96 million background checks for gun purchases were processed through the federal background check system. Of these, approximately 681,000 or about 1% were denied.” Just last year, 244 people on a terrorist watch list attempted to purchase a firearm. 223 of these attempts were successful. By these numbers, you’d think that going to buy a gun is just as easy as going to buy some milk. Not only are we handing out guns to former criminals, but now also people that the FBI recognizes as potential terrorists.It seems like just in the past few years, we’ve seen another civil war. Countless killings such as Sandy Hook, where many small children were killed, and the Orlando Massacre. The shooter in the Orlando massacre had previously been on a terrorist watch list, but had no problem purchasing guns when he wanted to kill tens of people. In order to prevent the meaningless and horrid murder that happen daily, we need laws that prevent all criminals and and potential terrorists from buying guns.

Alexander, Achilles, and the Billboard Girl

In my Winter term for my Sophomore class at GCE, my humanities course is called Forbidden Books. For our first Action Project, we were asked to create our own Socratic dialogue. Before we started, we closely canalized both the Apology Socrates' comparison to living in a cave. One thing I struggled with in this project was timing and filming. One thing I think I was proficient at was the video editing. The Socratic method can be considered dangerous because it is a way to turn a persons belief without turning them against you.

Alexander, Achilles, and The Billboard Girl from LS on Vimeo.

Bari Presentation and Introduction

In my Italian course, we've learned how introduce ourselves, describe what we like and don't like, and many other things. For this Action Project, we were given a city, told to do research on it, and make a presentation shown in a video. For my Italian city, Bari, I found many interesting things on Music made in the city, Art, location, and significant places. All of these things are included in the video below along with an introduction of myself.