Technological Singularity

What is the technological singularity?

               The technological singularity is the period in time when technology and artificial intelligence will out preform human intelligence. This can have very far reaching effects on human society and all aspects of civilization. It can affect the course of human history because machines and computers can learn at a faster rate than humans.

There are several ways by which it is possible for science to achieve this breakthrough.

1. The idea that there may be developed computers that are "awake" and superhumanly intelligent
2. There are large computer networks that may possibly "wake up" as a superhumanly intelligent entity.
3. Computer and human interfaces may become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent
4. Biological science may provide means to improve natural human intellect

The first three ways depend strictly on the progress of computer hardware. Over the last few decades, the progress in this has followed a steady curve.

ASI: Artificial Superintelligence

     

          When people are asked to think of a super smart computer, they mainly think of a computer that thinks like a human brain but much, much faster. A true separator between humans and the ASI would be the intelligence quality. An example of this is between chimps and humans. Chimps are not even able to grasp the world that we live in today. Even if you speed up a chimps brain a thousand times, it would not match the intelligence of humans today. Chimps are able to see humans and for example, skyscrapers, but they would not be able to comprehend that it was built my humans. The chimp to human intelligence quality is much tinier than human to the ASI.

History and Future of the technological singularity:

             There are several dates predicting the singularity. They range from 2017-2112. This is a time where computer based intelligence will exceed what the human brain is capable of. This expansion in technology continues to grow exponentially. It is because of this rapid growth that it becomes very difficult to predict how future human lives will be affected by this. 

              In the mid 1950s,  the term "singularity" was first used in context by John von Neumann. He spoke about the rapid progress of technology which can lead to some important singularity in the history of the race beyond human affairs that could not continue. Later, a science fiction writer by the name of Vernor Vinge popularized the phrase technological singularity. Vernor VInge thought that artificial intelligence, human biological enhancement, or brain computer interfaces could all be causes of the singularity. He predicts that the singularity will come some time before 2030. Another person who has been credited with this concept is Ray Kurzweil. He predicts that the singularity will occur around 2045. With Stuart Armstrong and his findings, he predicted that the singularity will occur some time between 2017 and 2112. With the increasing amount of power in computers and other technologies, it might be possible to create and build a computer that can out think and become more intelligent than  humanity. Alan Turing once said, "Once the machine thinking method has started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers." At some time in the future, we should expect for the computers to take control. The arrival of the singularity will probably occur faster than any other technological revolution that we have seen so far. When it occurs, people will be in the post human era. 

Moore's Law helps to explain the growth rate or speed as to how fast they preform. It can be theorized that the processing speed of these components double every two years. Other factors also come into play. This law mainly applies to transistors but can also refer speed. 

Consequences of this event:

              The progress of human intelligence will become more rapid when greater human intelligence drives the progress. An analogy for this is "Animals can adapt to problems and make inventions, but ofter no faster than natural selection can do its work" Relating this to humans, "Wh humans have the ability to internalize the world and conduct "what ifs" in our heads; we can solve many problems thousands of times faster than natural selection. Now, by creating the means to execute those simulations at a much higher speeds, we are entering a regime as radically different from our human past as we humans are from the lower animals."

  There are 8 main consequences of the technological singularity coming:

• Extinction
• Out of all these possible consequences, extinction is definitely one of the most feared. 

  

  Mitochondria

• Some scientists fear that humans are gradually becoming mitochondria. Mitochondria were once independent organisms but later let cells take over all of their functions until the only thing they were able to do is produce energy
• Joan Slonczewski said, "We're becoming like mitochondria. We provide the energy.
• Slavery
• Once we have AIs, humans stop being the smartest things on this planet. People think that if the AIs decide not to exterminate humans, they will enslave us. 
• World War III
• A possible outcome of the clash between the human race and AIs is a World War III. This war may lead to an unprecedented scale, sophistication and efficiency of death and destruction. 
• Economic Collapse
• If there is complete robotization in our society, this will most likely lead to the overproduction of goods and services. People think that people will loose their jobs to robots.
• Big Brother AI
• This option is a milder version of the slavery option. Humans are still under the control of the AI. The difference between this and slavery is that the Ai is doing what is best for the people rather then enslaving people and doing hat is best for itself. 
• Alienation and Loss of Humanity
  
• In this scenario, people think that it might be possible to survive the singularity by merging with the machines. This idea is referred to as transhumanism. With the merge of humans and artificial intelligence, it would increase our abilities tremendously. The major fear by doing this is that humans might loose the very essence of being human which can lead to a loss of community
• Environmental Castorhpe
• If humans live in a world were everything is mass produced by robots, humans would loose the last bit of respect for mother nature. 
• Fear of Change
• Humans want to be comfortable. The fear of change and the fear of the unknown is not comfortable. 

Bibliography:

http://www.singularitysymposium.com/definition-of-singularity.html
http://mindstalk.net/vinge/vinge-sing.html
http://www.livescience.com/29379-intelligent-robots-will-overtake-humans.html
http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html
Technological Singularity by Vernor Vinge 1993

Robotics, Robots, and Programing

A Robot is a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer. They also enhance human activities
              The word robot was created in 1921 when a Czech writer invented it. In the Czech language, "Robot" comes from the word "boot" meaning compulsory labor.

Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with design, construction, operation, and application of robots.

Programming is to provide a computer or other machine with coded instructions for the automatic performance of a particular task

The History of Robots:

Water Clock

• Although Aristotle is an idiot, in 322 B.C., he said that, "If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it... then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords.”
• 200 B.C., a Greek inventor and physicist designed a water clock that had movable figures that was able to tell time by the force of the water passing through it at a constant rate.
• 1495: Leonardo da Vinci drew up plans for a humanoid robot
• 1700-1900: a great deal of automatons were created during this time

  

  The Duck Automata

• 1738: Jacques de Vaucanson begins building a set of three automata. The first was a flute payer who could play twelve songs. The second on was able to play a flute and a drum. His third automata was his most famous. It was "The Duck". It was an attempt in modeling human or animal anatomy with mechanics
• 1770: Swiss clock masters and inventors invented the wristwatch
• 1802: Joseph Jacquard builds an automated loom which is controlled with punched cards. Later on, punched cards are used as an input method for some of the 20th centuries

  

  Remote Controlled Robot Boat

  earliest computers
• 1898: Nikola Tesla creates a remote controlled robot boat
• 1913: Henry Ford installs the world's first moving conveyor belt based assembly line
• 1926: first robot to be projected in a film
• 1932: The first actual robot was constructed and  produced in Japan. The "Lilliput" was a windup toy that walked. Its total height was 15 centimeters
• 1936: Alan Turing introduces the concept of a theoretical computer called the Turing Machine.

  

  Alan Turing

  In 1937, he releases his paper on Computable Numbers. This begins the computer revolution
• 1940: Isaac Asimov writes a series of short stories which he describes the Three Laws of Robotics


1. A robot many not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law
3. A robot must protect it own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with he First or Second Law
4. Later on, he added the "Zeroth Law" which states
   
   that a robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm
• 1950: Alan Turing propses a test to deterimne if a machine turly has the power to think for itself. This test became known as the "Turing Test." In order to pass the test, a robot or machine must be able ti indistinguishable from a human during conversation
• 1954: George Devol and Joe Engleberger design the first programmable robot arm. Later, this becoems the first industrial robot used for completing dangerous and receptive tasks on an assembly line.
• 1956: Alan Newell and Herbert Simon create the Logic Theorist. This was a system that was used to help solve difficult math problems
• 1957: The Soviet Union launches "Sputnik", into space. This was the first artificial orbiting satellite. By doing this, it marked the beginning of the space race

  

  Launched by the Soviet Union

• 1961: Heinrich Ernst develops the MH-1, a mechanical computer operate by a mechanical hand at MIT
• 1964: The IBM360 becomes the first computer to be mass produced
• 1966: Stanford Research Intestate creates Shakey, the first mobile robot to know and react to its own actions
• 1967: Richard Greenblatt writes a program that plays chess. This program becomes the foundation for many future chess programs
• 1969: Victor Scheinman creates the Stanford Arm. This arm's design is still influencing the design in robots today
• 1969: The U.S. uses the latest competing, robot, and save technology to successfully land Neil Armstrong on the moon
• 1974: Victor Scheinman starts marketing he Silver Arm which is capable of assembling small parts together with the use of touch sensors
  
• 1976: in Japan, Shigep Hirose designs the Soft Gripper which is designed to wrap around an object in a snake like fashion
• 1977: The first Star Wars movie is released. This move features robots such as R2-D2 an C-3P0
• 1977: Deep space explores Voyagers 1 and 2 are launched from Kennedy Space Center
• 1981: Takeo Kanade builds a Direct Dive Arm. There are motors installed directly in the joints of the arm allowing for it to become faster and much more accurate
• 1986: The first LEGO product comes to the market
• 1986: Honda begins a robot research program. It starts with the statement that "the robot should coexist and cooperate with human beings, by doing what a person cannot do and by cultivating a new dimension in mobility to ultimately benefit society"

  

  CyberKnife

• 1989: the first walking robot, Genghis, is unveiled at MIT
• 1992: Marc Thorpe attempts to build a radio controlled vacuum cleaner. He also has the idea of starting a robot combat event.
• 1992: Dr. John Adler comes up with the concept of the CyberKnife which is a robot that that screens and delivers a pre-planned dose of radiation to the tumor of a patient when found
• 1993: Dante, an 8-legged robot, descend into Mt. Erebrus, Antartica. Its plan was to collect data from the harsh environment as it may similar to the environment on other planets. When it reaches 20 feet, the tether snaps and Dante droops into the crater.

  

  Dante II

• 1994: Dante II descends into the crater of Alaskan volcano Mt. Spurr. Its mission was to collect volcanic gas samples an it was considered a success.
• 1996: RoboTuna was created to study the way fish swim
• 1996: Chris Campbell and Stuart Wilkinson turn a brewing accident into inspiration. The result of this is a robot named Gastrobot that digests organ mass to produce carbon dioxide and then is used for power. They called their invention the "flatulence engine"
• 1997: a computer was built by IBm and known as Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov
• 1997: The first node on the International Space Station is placed in orbit

  

  International Space Station

• 1997: The Pathfinder Mission lands of Mars. The robotic rover rolls onto Martian soil
• 1998: LEGO releases its first Robotics Inventions System
• 1999: LEGO releases the Robotics Discovery Set
• 1999: Sony releases the first AIBO, a robotic dog that has the ability to learn, entertain, and communicate with its owner

  

  ASIMO Humanoid Robot

• 2000: Honda debuts ASIMO, a humanoid robot
• 2000: LEGO releases the MINDSTORMS Robotic Invention System 2.0 
• 2001: The FDA clears CyberKnife to treat tumors anywhere in the body
• 2004: Epsom release the smallest known robot, standing 7 centimeters and weighing just 10 grams. This robot is a helicopter signed as a flying camera to be used during natural disasters
• 2005: Cornell University builds the first self-replicating robot

Industrial Robots

Types of Robots:

• Industrial Robots: these robots are used in the manufacturing environment. An example of these robots are articulated arms. They are specially designed for applications such as welding, material handling, painting and other tasks. 

Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

• Domestic and Household Robots: these types of robots are basiccally the robots used at home. Some example of these robots include robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic pool cleaners, sweepers, gutter cleaners, and other robots that can do different chores. 

Surgery Robot

• Medical Robots: these are robots used in medicine and medical institutions. For example, surgery robots

Data Collecting Robot

• Service Robots: generally, these are robots that do not fall into any other types of usage. Some of these robots include, data gathering robots, robots made to show off technology, robots used for research, etc

Transportation Robot

• Military Robots: military robots include bomb disposal robots, different transportation robots, reconnaissance drones. These robots can also be used in law enforcement

Robosapien

• Entertainment Robots: this is very broad category. These types range from toy robots to running alarm clocks. 

Mars Rover

• Space Robots: these are robots used on the International Space Station, robots used in shuttles, and rovers on Mars

Robots in a Competition

• Hobby and Competition Robots: these are robots that you create. They are made for fun or used in competitions. 

Robotics Today:

              Transitioning from the past to the present, robots have become more complex an have gained more knowledge. Because of this, robots have helped us to learn more and gather more knowledge of things humans would have never been able to do. Robots help to find solutions to everyday problems. Robots have proved to beneficial to people and especially manufactures. In order for people to continue seeing these benefits, a robot equipment maintenance program was implemented. The most common program is preventive maintenance which is designd to eliminate unexpected breakdowns and increase the life span of the robots and machines. The downside of robots is that they require a lot of maintenance.

The Rise of the Robots:

             "The robots haven't just landed in the workplace-they're expanding skills, moving up the corporate ladder, showing awesome productivity and retention rates, and increasingly shoving aside their human counterparts." Pretty soon, Robots will outthink humans where they will no longer be needed. For example, there is a machine which can make a hamburger in about 10 seconds. This robot can soon replace an entire McDonalds crew. As time passes, robots and machines become for intelligent, specialized, and sophisticated.

              Robotic engineers are designing and creating robots to look, act, and feel more like humans. There are sensors embedded under the skin of the robots to help it react naturally in the environment. 

              Hod Lipson is an engineering professor at Cornell University. He is one of the world's leading expert on artificial intelligence and robotics. His vision of the future was unthinkable until recently. "Could the rapid advances in automation and digital technology provoke social upheaval by eliminating the livelihoods of many people, even as they produce great wealth for others?" For a long time, it was thought that advancements in robots and technologies have been destryoying jobs but also creating new and better one. Now, it is still destroying jobs but creating a smaller amount of better jobs. Robots are gradually creeping into everything from manufacturing to decision making. 

We have always wanted machines to do task for use and make things easier but no one ever thought of that as a bad thing.

Do we own the robots or do the robots own us?

Programing:

Programing is the process of creating a sequence of instructions that tell a computational device,such as a micro controller. The micro controller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit
containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input-ouput peripherals. 

Robotic programing involves designing the controller that governs robot behavior. Because of the growing complexity of robotics, modeling, stimulation, and programing is becoming crucial to understanding how the controller interacts with the robot's environmental perception and mobility. Doing model situations allow for engineers to refine and eliminate errors before developing the hardware prototypes.

Conclusion:

              Robotics is a topic that has many advantages as well as many disadvantages. Over the years, programing and robotics have helped to improve and change the way society thinks as well as live. Over the last century, there was been many new inventions that have helped us for the better and started new eras. For example, when the Soviet Union launched "Sputnik" into space, it was the start of the space race. Robots have many uses and come in many different types. Along with the different types, each robot has a different ability. Each design has a specific use and purpose. Although there are many advantages for robots, there are also disadvantages. Robots are becoming more and more complex causing them to be able to think on their own. Robots are also destroying certain jobs for humans. Certain robots can also become dangerous to humans. Overall, robots have made a huge impact on lives today. They make our lives easier and effect us in so many ways.

Bibliography:

http://robotics.megagiant.com/history.html 

http://www.livescience.com/29379-intelligent-robots-will-overtake-humans.html

http://www.mind.ilstu.edu/curriculum/medical_robotics/robots_in_beginning.php

http://www.allonrobots.com/types-of-robots.html

https://www.robots.com/articles/viewing/robot-equipment-maintenance

http://www.wired.com/brandlab/2015/04/rise-machines-future-lots-robots-jobs-humans/

http://www.futureforall.org/robotics/robotics.htm

http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/538401/who-will-own-the-robots/

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~minerva/press/realprogress/

http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexedr/software/

http://www.mathworks.com/discovery/robot-programming.html?requestedDomain=www.mathworks.com
http://www.philforhumanity.com/Robots.html

Mouse Trap Cars

History:

James Henry Atkinson, an ironmonger from Leeds invented the design of the first mousetrap. He was born in 1849 and the mouse trap was invented in 1897. The prototype was called the "Little Nipper." To this day, none has ever been able to surpass the recoil of the spring. The concept has not evolved or changed much over the years. Even though it is a very simple trap, it is still as effective as it was when it was first created.

This is James Henry Atkinson's design of the "Little Nipper."

How It Works:

There are 5 parts to a mousetrap:
1. the platform
2. the hold down bar- this hold stoa hammer (lever) down
3. the hammer (lever) to kill the mouse
4. the spring-provides mechanical energy
5. the catch- to hold the bait


This mousetrap was a simple but effective design. It consists of a wooden base upon which sits a simple spring mechanism. It also contains wire fastening. In order to set it, you need to bring the lever all the way back. Then you have to take the hook and attach it to the other side. To attract the mice, but some sort of bait on one end of the mousetrap. When the mouse goes for the bait, the movement triggers the spring to release the lever to kill the mouse.

Mousetrap Cars:

A mousetrap car is a vehicle that uses a mousetrap as a motor or as a means of propelling the car. The most common way for making a mousetrap car is to attach an arm to the lever of the mousetrap. Then tie string to the end of the lever and wind the other end of the string on to the axle of the car. By winding the string around the axle the mousetrap's spring is activated and now you have stored energy. As the mousetrap car is released, the mousetrap pulls the string off of the axle causing the wheels to turn and propel the car forward.

A drawing of a mousetrap car

A mousetrap car is a car powered only by a spring loaded mousetrap. The mousetrap holds elastic potential energy. It is attached to a string, which is wound around the axle of the back wheels. The spring of the mouse trap wants to return to its original position. As a result of this motion, the attached lever transfers from potential energy into kinetic energy. As the string unwinds around the axle, the wheels begin to turn and the car begins to move forward.

Friction:

Another important consideration that has to be taken into account is friction. Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Friction occurs when any two surfaces slip, slide, touch, or move against one another. There are two main types of friction: surface friction and fluid friction (air resistance). An example of surface friction is shown below. 

Surface friction occurs anytime two surfaces touch or rub against each other. When looked at under a microscope, nothing appears to be smooth even though it may seem that way when looking at it. The amount of friction depends on the materials in each object and how much force is applied to each object. An important concept for surface friction is that it will always take more force to start an object sliding than to keep the object sliding. Surface friction is also unaffected by speed. 

Surface Friciton

Fluid Friction

This is an example of Fluid Friction or Air Resistance.

In general, the more moving components that a machine has, the greater the total force of friction is.

Friction plays an important role in a mousetrap car. Without it, the mousetrap car would travel forever. The goal when building a mousetrap car is to design a car that has the lowest rate of energy loss to friction. The number one point of friction on any mousetrap car is where the axles come into contact with the body of the car.

Friction at the Axle points depends on:

• The diameter of the axle
• The pressure on the axle by bearing
• The types of material used for the axle and bearing.

Reduction in the surface are of where the axle is resting will also help to reduce friction. The use of lubricants can also help reduce friction. 

Weight and Mass:

Another factor that should be taken into account when building a mousetrap car is the mass/weight. Since the spring is only able to generate a limited amount of force, every effort should be made to minimize the weight of the car.  In theory, the lighter the car, the easier for the spring to initiate the forward movement of the car.  The heavier the weight of a car, the greater the amount of energy that is required and wasted just to initiate the early forward movement. It is advantageous to build a car that is light in order to capitalized on this early movement and allow it to accelerate

My Mouse Trap Car

My Mouse Trap Car:

• Supplies:
• 1 Mouse Trap
• 2 Balloon
• 4 Pens
• 4 CDs
• String
• 1 Metal Hanger
• 2 Paint Stirrer
• Cardboard
• 2 Sticks of Fiber Glass
• 2 Plastic Washers
• 2 Metal Washers
• Hot Glue Gun
• Drill
• Scissors
• Saw
• Exacto knife

• Procedure:



These are the front wheels



1. Gather all the materials needed to build the mouse trap car.
2. Pull apart each of the 4 pens so that the body of the pen is completely hollow. Put the ink cartridges aside to be used later. 
3. Take one CD and lie it flat down on a table. Place the hollow part of the pen vertically in the center of the CD so  that it is perpendicular. Hot glue the CD to the pen and wait for the glue to dry. 
4. Once it is dry and the CD is secure to the pen, take another CD and lie it flat on the table. Place the pen with the already glued CD in the middle of the other CD. Once in the center, glue it again. This will be used as the front set of wheels.
5. In order to create the back set of wheels, take a piece of fiber glass and sharpen each of the ends to a point. This will allow you to get the CDs on. Take one washer and hot glue them into the center of the CD. Repeat this for the other CD. Once the glue is set, put it aside for later.

   

   These are the back wheels

6. Next, get a ballon. Fold the balloon in half horizontally and cut the two ends of the balloon off. When you have just the center left, cut it again. This will leave you with 2 separate pieces. Then unfold it leaving part of the balloon shaped like a rubber band.
7. Place the rubber band like balloons around the two of the CDs which have the washers glued into them. These will later end up being the back wheels. The balloon is there to provide friction so that the wheels have traction and actually move rather than spinning out of control. All of these steps above have just helped to create the axles and wheels to the mouse trap car.
8. Put the wheels and axles aside until the body of the car is complete.
9. Now to build the body, take a piece or cardboard that is 13 inches long and 5 inches wide. Then take another piece of cardboard that is the same length but much thinner. Take the exact knife and cut the off the ends of the thiner piece at an angle to form a trapezoid. After, hot glue it to the center of the big piece of cardboard so that they are perpendicular to each other and the trapezoid is facing down. Then, let it dry.
10. Gather both of the paint stirrer. Take one and cut it equally into four pieces. Then take the next one and cut it so that it is 8 1/4 inches long. Hot glue the 8 1/4 piece to the edge of one of the ends of cardboard. Make sure that the thinner piece of cardboard is facing down. 
11. After the glue has dried, take two of the four pieces and glue it to the ends of the 8 1/4 inch piece so that it will form a right angle. This has created the front of the mouse trap car.

    

    This is the bottom of the car

12. Flip the cardboard around so that the back is facing you. Take the last two pieces of paint stirrers and glue it to the cardboard to forma right angle. The pieces should be sticking of the cardboard about 2 inches. 
13. Next, gather the 2 metal washers. Hot glue one to each side of the paint stirrers so that the hole in the center is just below the stirrer. Theses 2 washers will help hold the back axle in place and create less friction when it rotates.
14. Now, get the ink cartridges that were put aside earlier. Cut off the ends of the pen so that only the ink is left with the plastic. Then cut off the part at the end that has no ink in it. Do this with one more of the pens so that you have two pieces of plastic without ink and two pieces with the tip still connected.
15. Grab the front wheels (the axle is made out of the pen body) and stick the two pen tips in to the hollow body. Then glue them in so that they are secure. Make sure that the tips of the pens are sticking out at each end. 

    

    This is the front axle

16. Then take the body of the car and glue the two plastic tubes to each side of the paint stirrers. Make sure that you are gluing them to the from of the car. the front This will help to secure the front axle in place.
17. Next, take the front axle and put each pen tip into the plastic tube so that it is able to spin freely.
18. Now go to the back of the car, take the piece of fiber glass that was sharpened and stick it into the center of the two metal washers. This will be the back axle.
19. Then take the two CDs with the plastic washers glued into them and stick them onto the piece of fiber glass to secure it into place. Now body and wheels of the car is complete.

    

    This is the mousetrap with the lever

20. To add the lever to the mousetrap, gather the other piece of fiber glass. Pull the hinge back and attach the fiber glass to one side of the hinge. To do this, take a piece of string and start to wrap it around until it covers the whole side of the hinge. Then put a drop of glue on the beginning and end of the string to make sure that the fiber glass stays connected to the hinge of the mousetrap. This will serve has the lever which will help to propel it forward.
21. The hot glue the mouse trap to the body of the car. Make sure that the mouse trap is at the front of the car and is perfectly entered. This will help to balance out the weight. Also, make sure that the lever is facing forward so that when it is pulled back, the car is propelled forward.
22. Then drill three holes into the mousetrap and through the cardboard. Get a piece of string and start to thread it through each hole to secure it onto the body of the car. This will give extra support to the mousetrap to that it does not detach from the body while it is moving. 

    

    This is the back axle with the hook

23. Take the metal hanger and cut a very little piece off the top. Then hot glue it to the center of the back axle. This will help the string to wind up on the axle.

    

    This is the lever with the string glued to it

24. Lastly, at the other end of the lever, saw a little indent around it to tie one end of the string to it. Then add a little hot glue to help make sure it does not move. In order to know how long the string should be, take the string and bring it to the back axle. The string should be the distance between the back axle and the front of the lever. Then tie a loop at the end of the string so that it can hook onto the metal hanger attached to the back axle.

    

    This is what the mouse trap car looks like

How It Works

         This mouse trap car works by having the spring in the mouse trap propel it forward. The spring acts like the engine in a real vehicle. When the string is being wound up around the back axel, it is building up energy for the car to move. When it is let go, all the energy is released so the lever starts to move forward because it wants to go back to its original position. The string begins to unwind around the back axle which is what is making the axle turn.  This is making the whole car move forward. With the balloons attached to the back wheels, it provides traction which helps the car stay in control. Without them, the wheels would still spin but the car would not go as far because there is less traction between the wheels and the ground.

This is a video of my mousetrap car in action:

My Expectations for Physics

I think that this course will be one of the most challenging courses that I have taken so far. I will be pushed to my limits and be pushed to try my hardest. I personally, have many expectations for this course. I can not wait to learn all the material that this course will cover. Over the course of the year, I hope to try new things such as learning new study and life skills that will help me in the future. This year, I am very excited for the topics and projects that we will be learning about. I am very excited to learn about Newton's Laws of Motion and energy. I also would like to learn a lot about the kinetic theory. I hope that I will be able to learn as much as I can throughout the year. Overall, I am very thrilled that I am able to take this class and learn all of the topics that a lot of students across the country will not be learning.