Design

Criterion C: Gravity of the Different Planets

This simulates the gravity of the different planets acting in a bouncing ball.

Click on the different planets to change the acceleration.

You can also control the ball position using the left and right arrow keys.

Criterion A - Inquiring and Analyzing

CRITERION A: INQUIRING AND ANALYZING

Research Question

How can simulations on Scratch help Physics students understand the concept of Gravity and its comparison on the different planets?

Introduction

Across the solar system, there are different bodies of mass called planets, all of which have different characteristics, the main one being their mass, which influences the gravitational pull on other objects. No two planets have the same mass, and therefore do not have the same gravitational pull. Therefore a ball in free fall will accelerate differently on Venus and Uranus.

I want to create a program on Scratch that allows easy visualization and comparison of the different gravity on the 8 planets of our solar system. Apart from the basic Physics concept of Gravity, my program will also add some astronomy concepts and teach students about the planet that they are going to visit during this activity.

The Scenario

Gravity is a concept which is taught in Physics and it is very relevant for students to understand the comparison of the gravity of different planets. I was approached by Mr. Smith, Head of the Physics Department of Head-Start School Dubai to design an interesting software that could be used by the students as an in-class activity to compare the gravity of different planets.

Head-Start School Dubai, therefore, had a need to design an in-class activity for their Physics lesson on gravitational force and asked me to design the software for them. At the moment the students are only being taught from their textbook which is boring and not practical. My software will be useful for the school because they will have a new and interesting hands-on activity along with new technologies in the classroom to help the students and teachers during their lessons.

In order to know about the exact requirements of the software, I will interview Mr. Smith, the Head of Physics Department at the Head-Start School Dubai who is the main person who will use this software in the classroom for the students. I will also ask him about the features that he would like me to introduce in the software so that the product can be developed to meet the particular needs of his students and the lesson.

Research Plan

I will research	Gathering the Info	Why research this?	Dates
Head-Start School Dubai	Primary Research Interview Mr. Smith at the Head-Start School Dubai.	To understand the particular requirements of the students during the physics lesson so that my software meets his requirements of the in-class activity.	January 24, 2016
Planet Characteristics and Gravity	Secondary Research Visit different websites on Physics and Astronomy to gather the required data for my software	This will help create a real-life simulation which would be of educational use for the Physics students in Mr. Smith’s classroom.	January 30 2016.

Primary Research

The Interview

Interview with Mr. Smith, Head of Physics Department, Head-Start School Dubai.

Me: Good morning Mr. Smith. Thanks for calling me here and I would be glad to discuss the requirements that you have to design the in-class activity for your students. What are you using at the present moment and why do you need my software?

Mr. Smith: Good morning Subhadeep and thanks a lot for coming. The concept of Gravity is being taught only from the textbook and I feel that the students cannot really appreciate the difference between the gravitational force on different planets. They find the lessons very boring and there is no in-class activity that I can do with the students that would help them understand the concepts better.

Me: What features are you looking for in the in-class activity?

Mr. Smith: What I can think of is that maybe you can take a ball in free fall and develop a simulation exercise where the students can choose a particular planet. So, once they choose a planet, say Mercury, they can easily see the effect on gravity on the ball on Mercury. Then, when they choose Venus and see the effect it would be a visual learning where they can immediately make a comparison between the gravity on the ball on the planets.

Me: What kind of information do you want the students to know from this activity?

Mr. Smith: First of all, there should be the bouncing ball that I mentioned to you earlier and there should be the feature where they choose a planet. Secondly, I think it would be very educational for the students if you can include some astronomical aspects as well such as their temperature, density, surface composition, etc. Say, once they choose Mercury, the student can see its temperature is 420 C to -150 C, or that its density is 5.43 g/cm3, then there would be some further learning.

Me: Thanks a lot Mr. Smith. I think I can understand what you are looking for. Let me begin with the simulation software and I will contact you with my further queries as I design the program for you.

Mr. Smith: Thank you Subhadeep and please feel free to contact me anytime you wish to.

Secondary Research

My Secondary Research will help me understand the features of the planets that Mr. Smith wants me to add into the software.

The relevant data that needs to be collected to program the comparison of gravity on different planet and to be incorporated into the physics in-class activity would be

-        Gravity on the different planets

-        Mass of the planets

-        Diameter of the planets

-        Air pressure of the different planets

-        Atmosphere of the planets

-        Relative sizes of the planets

-        Surface composition of each planet

-        Temperatures on the planets

-        Density of the planets

-        Length of one day on each planet

-        Distance from the sun

-        Number of moons of the planet

The data would be sources from the Internet from the websites related to Astronomy. I would also get information from newspapers, magazines and books related to Physics and Astronomy.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths	Weaknesses
-        It is easy to program and use -        It provides and accurate simulation of falling objects on different planets -        It is user-friendly and fun	-        Looks unprofessional -        Atmospheric simulations may not be realistic -        Glitches in software
Opportunities	Threats
-        Can help many students compare the gravity of different planets - Students will also learn about astronomical aspects about each planet	-        Unprofessional look may cause fewer people to trust the software

Design Brief

-        Bouncing ball

-        Accurate simulations of gravity

-        Ability to choose planets

-        Switch to remove or add features like atmosphere and surface composition

-        Planet statistics (temperature, density, number of moons, duration of a day, etc.)

-        Pictures of planet surfaces

Subatomic Particles Explorer

Dodge anything that's RED

Mouse Version
 

Keyboard version

Use the mouse to control where the green block goes. Make sure the ball doesn't pass it!

Criterion D: Evaluating

CRITERION D: EVALUATING

Self-Evaluation

I started the project with my interview of the owner and CEO of HyperSweet Labs Manufacturing Company where he detailed his requirements and needs. HyperSweet Labs was initially maintaining their records on paper and then shifted to Microsoft Word. The CEO said that he had go through different documents to find the required information and it was becoming more difficult and time-consuming as his operations were becoming bigger and wider. The primary research helped me to understand what capabilities the software must have – the CEO wanted me to design a database that would make it possible for him to search through the records of his employees and machines at each of his factory location.

Next, I started my secondary research on existing databases and compared them to the requirements of HyperSweet Labs. My secondary research helped me to compare the possible programs that I could use and finally narrowed down on Microsoft Access as the most appropriate software for my project. I then visited Microsoft’s website to learn all the various features of Microsoft Access and how to use them, such as creating validation rules, input masks, table forms, and even how to make a login form. I sketched out the designs of each of the individual forms within my software for the employees, machinery and factories.

My next step was to draw up a timeline of my project. A Gantt chart was created to plan out when each stage of my project will be completed. Although I tried to work according to my initial schedule, but during the course of the project, I was constantly carrying out my secondary research and adding new features to my program. Some of the deadlines could not be adhered to, but I am happy that I could complete the software on time and hand over the completed program to HyperSweet Labs.

Mr. El-Amin has been using the software for a week now, so I will interview Mr. El-Amin to gather his opinion about my software. I will also find out the strengths and weaknesses of my product and consider what further developments I could introduce into my software.

In my personal opinion, I already knew computer programming and so I enjoyed the “creation” stage the most, especially creating the login form as it requires the use of Visual Basic for Applications. I am confident that Mr. El-Amin would also be happy because my final product has been able to meet his specifications within the scheduled time and it should solve all the problems of managing his employees and machines at three different factory locations.

Expert appraisal – Interview with the CEO

Interview with Mr. Afzal El-Amin,

Owner and CEO, HyperSweet Labs Manufacturing Company

Me: Hi again, Mr. El-Amin, I am Subhadeep. I came to get your opinion on the database application for the factory workers. So, how do you find the application?

Mr. El-Amin: Yes, of course, Subhadeep. I must extend my sincere thanks to you for solving all my problems at one go. Your software is very helpful and has satisfied all my needs.

Me: Did you find the software easy to use?

It is also very user-friendly because the user interface and buttons are very intuitive. Although you had promised to provide me free training for using the software if I faced any problems, but the fact that I did not need to call you at all proves how easy it was for me to navigate the buttons.

Me: What parts of the application did you find the most useful?

Mr. El-Amin: I found it very useful that a table or report can be displayed for the employees or machinery with just one click. You also added the option of exporting the data which was also very useful for me.

Me: In the first interview, you had mentioned that you wanted to get information about your employees and machinery quicker. Has the application been able to do this successfully?

Mr. El-Amin: Yes, of course! It is much easier navigating and viewing information about everyone in the factories. I can also run a query about any employee or any machine or any factory and generate the required report. It is definitely much better than using word documents that I had been using all these years.

Me: Is there any way the software can be improved?

Mr. El-Amin: I am not sure if it is possible – but adding few extra buttons on the employee, machinery, and factory forms might allow me to open other applications. I am aware that the option of exporting the data does open up other applications. But, I was wondering if I could also open the calculator or chrome while I am inside the software. And, you could choose a better color scheme since I feel that the red and black does not suit the software for a candy making company.

I must emphasize that these are minor modifications that I am looking for, as add-ons. I am completely satisfied by the result of this searchable database and I am really thankful to you for addressing all my problems.

Evaluating against the design specification

When testing the program I compared the outcome with what was mentioned in the design specification. The following check list was followed during the project in order to fulfill all the objectives and requirements of my software.

Login screen with username and password	ü
Make data precise and consistent with validation rules and input masks	ü
Forms for displaying each individual record neatly	ü
Queries and reports for employees and machinery	ü
Table forms for employees and machinery	ü
Option of exporting data for employees and machinery	ü
View of all the factories	ü
Reports on all employees in a certain factory	ü
Reports on all machinery in a certain factory	ü
Export data of employees in a certain factory	ü
Export data of machinery in a certain factory	ü

Strengths

Weaknesses

·       Contains a login screen where the user must enter a username and password. ·       Has employees and machinery forms to navigate between the records. ·       Allows user to search for a specific record. ·       Has table forms to display the records for employees and machinery as a table. ·       Gives the option of exporting data for employees or machinery to several other programs. ·       Displays each of the factories, and gives options to export data for employees or machinery only in that specific factory. ·       Shows reports for all employees and machinery, or employees and machinery in a certain factory.

·       Does not include buttons to open other applications such as a calculator or web browser without exporting the data. ·       Does not contain reports for employees or machinery in each factory section. ·       Does not contain forms to show records for all queries.

Areas for improvement:

            I should have added more reports and queries on the employees and machinery in each factory section, as well as extra table forms to display them. The existing forms should have buttons that lead to the query tables instead of only the forms. Forms and reports to view records from a specific query could have been added, as well as special queries which allow the user to enter the value of a certain field in a query. Finally, I should’ve used a better color scheme that suits a candy making company.