Albuquerque High School (10)

The Albuquerque High School team (#10) is from Albuquerque. This year they've submitted a project titled Danger of ElectroMagnetic Waves.

Team Members

 * nickolis taber

Sponsoring Teacher

 * Joan Newsom

Proposal
http://mode.lanl.k12.nm.us/get_proposal1112.php?team_id=10

Electronic household objects generate electromagnetic radiation. Some of the electromagnetic radiation can be dangerous to our health in high concentrations. I will model the electromagnetic fields from various common electronic objects, such as cell phones, to see the effect on human health. Then, I will compare radiation levels modeled with available health and safety data. This data could help us analyze how dangerous current and future technologies are.

Interim Report
http://mode.lanl.k12.nm.us/get_interim1112.php?team_id=10

Some household objects can be dangerous to the human body. Objects such as cell phones emit waves that are potentially damaging to humans. My project was to model different sources of radiation, reach an understanding of what the radiation does to cause harm, and compare it to the amount of radiation that would harm someone.

My progress thus far has been trying to become more familiar with a programming language so I can try and create the model that I need myself. Coming into the challenge I wanted to learn more about programming and computers in the process, so far what I have learned from the book I bought is very basic, so I also began to look at software that already model waves like I would want to model in my project. Continuing this is essential to my project success, as I want to gain the ability to model the waves by myself and try to simulate different environments and ect.

I expect by the end of my project I will be able to create a program to model my waves successfully and then can begin charting and comparing the results of what I found to scientific records of how much radiation is dangerous.

=Interim Comments=

Introduction
Hi, My name is Dr. Thomas Robey See the biography on my User Page

Progress
You seem to have a good idea what subject you want to tackle. Since computer programming is not always taught in high schools it often has to be learned on your own. This is a good exercise to demonstrate to yourself and others that you can learn on your own and computer programming is a useful skill.

Mentors
Do you have a mentor yet? It is especially important to have a mentor if you are struggling with learning to program. Contact the Supercomputer Challenge if you need some help finding a mentor.

Model
Since your project involves electromagnetic waves it would seem that the appropriate equation is the wave equation. What is the wave equation? Finite differences might be one numerical method to approximate the wave equation. Can you write down the finite difference approximation of the wave equation? What about the boundary conditions? Remember to keep your project simple enough that it is achievable especially since you are also learning to program.

Face to Face Evaluation
Your next milestone is a face to face evaluation in February.

Rubrics
The judges will use these rubrics to evaluate your projects. Use them as checklists for what you need to communicate to the judges. Expo Judges Rubric