Hobbies And Interests
Ratio of Sand to Cement in Concrete
Conduct an experiment to test the effect of sand-to-cement ratio on the strength of concrete. Construct a form for concrete bricks using lumber and plywood. Each brick should be the same size. Create at least five different concrete mixes, increasing the percentage of sand versus cement with each mix. For instance, one may be 20 percent sand and 80 percent cement and another 30 percent sand and 70 percent cement. Mix the concrete mixtures with the same amount of water for each. Label each brick with the sand and cement percentages used. Let the bricks harden for at least two weeks. Add a metal hanger to each brick to test its strength. Hang a bucket from the metal hanger and add weight to the bucket. Indicate how much weight was added until the brick cracked. Record results and compare strengths. The brick with the most sand should break with the least amount of weight.
Concrete and Density
Conduct a project to create a concrete barge that floats and carries cargo. The purpose of the project is to learn what materials are used in concrete as well as the physical properties of concrete. Make a barge using two parts concrete and one part water. Let the barge harden for 24 hours. Weigh the barge before use. Place the barge in water and add cargo to the barge. Indicate how much weight was added until the barge sank. Make two more barges, lighter in weight than the first barge. Repeat the experiment. The lightest barge should hold the most weight without sinking since it is less dense. Objects less dense than water will float.
Internet Reception and Building Materials
Investigate which type of building material results in the best wireless Internet signal. Fabricate four boxes made of sheetrock, cement, wood and cardboard. Place a wireless router inside each box. Place a laptop computer 1 meter from each box. Record the percentage of reception at the 1-meter mark. Increase the distance of the computer from the box to 2 meters. Repeat this step until the distance reaches 25 meters. Record all percentage reception measurements for each distance and for each type of box. Indicate which box resulted in the best reception. The highest reception should result from the cardboard box, as it is the thinnest and least dense material.
Wood Burning Project
Conduct a project about which type of wood burns the fastest. Obtain at least four different types of wood, such as cherry, mulberry, ash or olive. Weigh each piece of wood. Make sure the wood pieces are the same size. Place the wood on a flat nonflammable surface. Light each piece of wood on fire. Record the time and indicate which type of wood burned the fastest. If there are wood remains, wait until the wood cools and measure each piece of wood to see which wood burned the most. The type of wood that is the most dense or heaviest should take the longest to burn.