"Fail Early, Fail Often"

You all have heard me say this a lot lately. Don't take my word for it, here's some data from the Marshmallow Challenge:




We've done a lot of "Design-Build" challenges in our classes, should we give this one a go?

Here's a screenshot from the video that cuts to the heart of the issue. If each marshmallow from the diagram is an attempt, why is it that the Kindergartner's end result consistently outperform MBA students by more than 100%?:

Binary Counting

This is a neat video that Dan shared with me. Digital data ultimately is a series of 1s and 0s. We had talked about this in a few of our classes and this video can help you visualize a counting system based on switches:

Assembly Line Data Visualization

The front half of our Assembly Line in action:



Our collective data for our test runs on Thursday the 13th:



Here's my current best effort at visualizing the data. What did you come up with for your visualization?:

(Click graph to display a larger image)


? - What is effective about this presentation in regards to visualizing the data?
? - If our goal is to improve the process, how is this visualization helpful?
? - What's missing/how would you improve the utility of this visualization?
? - What visualization have you come up with?

What Makes an "Engineering Project"? - PT I - Ping Pong Launcher Challenge

To get the year going, we're going to revisit the POE Final Challenge from the last day of class last year.

This is a great opportunity to start working with a team and see how we can take data, visualize it and then use the data to make choices regarding overcoming a challenge. This is a "game" so please approach the challenge with a spirit of fun! I hope we can enjoy kicking off the year with this as a first (of at least two) warm up project(s).


Phase 1: Design/Build
Construct a ping pong ball launcher according to the following criteria and constraints:

Criteria
-Adjustable launch trajectory (use provided protractor) or adjustable pull.
-Be able to launch a ping pong ball within a range bracket of 10 to 20 feet.
-Be as accurate and precise as possible within this range window (significant to next phases)


Constraints
-Use provided materials (Fischertechnik, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, pipecleaners)
-Limited adhesives/tape - no major structural dependency on tape


Document your launcher by posting a photograph to your blog. Briefly list any key features of your design.





Phase 2: Test & Visualize Data
-Collect a minimum of ten data points (you may want to do more).
-Correlate launch angle or pull distance (depending on which design you pursued) with distance ball traveled.
-Put your data into Power Point and visualize it with a graph of Angle/pull vs. Distance

Post your Power Point graph to your blog




Phase 3: Friendly Competition
We will hold a target practice tournament with our launchers. Using a competitive bracket, teams will be paired up and take turns to see who can be first to hit a target placed between 10 and 20 feet from their launchers. Winners will advance.

List how far you were able to advance in the tournament



Phase 4: Clean Up
Have your launcher fully broken down and parts returned to their bins by the completion of the period.

Coastguard Rankings for Survival Scenario Items