Curheart’s Weblog

I really enjoyed the overview of robotics we learned about in class today. I never knew that there were five parts to a robot: body, effectors, actuators, sensors, and controller. There are also two types of sensors, active and passive, and two types of controllers, open loop and closed loop. I found the types of loops to be most interesting because I never knew that there was a way to get a robot to execute movements without feedback. I thought that robots always gave feedback. I found machine vision to be particularly interesting as well. As it gets to be more refined and better understood, there will be greater potential and implications for robotics in our future. Also, the activity we had today was my favorite so far because it got everyone involved and actively participating. I would like to thank my professors for all of the knowledge they have shared during our multiple class sessions together.

In today’s class, I learned about various tests an experimenter can do on his material in order to see whether or not it will break. I did further research on these tests and found the following five useful websites:

1. http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/t/tensile_strength.htm

I like this website because it gives very comprehensible definitions of tensile strength and shear stress.

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izod_impact_strength_test

Wikipedia gave a wonderful summary of izod impact strength, as usual, and compared it to the charpy impact test.

3. http://www.gordonengland.co.uk/hardness/brinell_conversion_chart_2.htm

I like this website because instead of explaining its information in words, it gives the viewers a chart. The chart very easy to understand and compares Brinell hardness, Vickers Hardness and Tensile Strength.

4. http://www.omnexus.com/tc/polycarbonate/index.aspx?id=impact-strength

This website gives examples of commercial items today that have good impact strength.

5. http://www.key-to-steel.com/Articles/Art94.htm

This website gives a very detailed review of the charpy impact test and provides detailed images that supplement the provided explanation.

Today in class I learned many new facts. Specifically, I learned fascinating information about polymers that I had never realized before such as the fact that polymers are non-conducting since they are connected by covalent bonds and therefore do not permit electron flow. Polymers are also easy to manufacture, transport, and install. Elastomers, a type of polymer, can stretch due to their cross linked bonding and then return back to their original state. Thermoplastics are plastics that can be melted and reshaped since they soften upon heating and harden upon cooling. Thermosets, on the other hand, are plastics that are not heat sensitive and therefore cannot be reshaped. A burn test can determine whether a polymer is a thermoset or thermoplastic because thermoplastics melt under high temperatures whereas thermosets burn. Thus, I find polymers to be incredibly interesting and relevant, especially since humans rely upon them for so many functions in their daily lives.

Newell, Richard G., Sancha, Tom L. (n.d.). Technical Paper No.2 – The Difference Between CAD and GIS.

Retrieved July 2, 2008, from http://cfis.savagexi.com/pages/technical_paper_2.

When learning about CAD systems in class, I had thought that they were the basis for the control system of all electronics. Upon reading this technical paper, I came to realize that this is not the case. From this paper I learned that there is also a control system called GIS. GIS and CAD have many differences. One of the most significant differences between these two control systems, I think, is that “CAD is used to design new objects, which have not existed in the world before, whereas GIS is used to build a model of the world as it exists, including its history, in order to understand, analyze and manage resources and facilities.” Thus, GIS is a more practical system when it comes to current electronics, and CAD seems to be the ideal system for people who like playing with ideas and being creative and inventive.

In today’s class, I learned a lot about how things work. Included in this broad topic was the discussion we had on motors/engines. After class, I furthered my research in the area and found some helpful websites.

1. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/motor1.htm

I thought that this website gave a nice diagram and described the several parts of an engine well.

2. http://www.horizonhobby.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1604

I thought that this website was very good at answering detailed and specific questions.

3. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/mothow.html

I thought that this website gave a very consise explanation of an electric motor with good diagrams for support.

4. http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=5101303

I thought that this video gave a very good visual image of the assembage of a motor. It helped to put parts in perspective.

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_motor

I thought that wikipedia, as usual, gave a very good overall description of the different types of electric motor.

Today’s class had several interesting facts to present. I found the presentation on styles of learning to be rather intriguing. I never realized how many different ways a person could uncover new material and how interrelated a person’s personality could be to his/her learning process. I also enjoyed learning about the various web pages and web searches that the instructors recommended for use to find detailed information pertaining to a specific topic. This information led to the fact that though performing research is a great experience for undergraduate students, students working in labs should not get carried away with their work since grades are the most important factor graduate schools look at when determining acceptance into their university. Lastly, I found the suggested format for doing research to be very useful and applicable to research I have done, am doing, and plan to do. Overall, I believe today’s class was presented very well and was thorough in all respects.

The first program I learned how to make with C# was a pop-up window that said “Hello World.” On behalf of the world once more, I would like to say hello. Welcome to my blog/website.

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