This was as far as I had gotten into this particular project. I managed to finish off the circle, the rectangle, and triangle, but couldn't finish the star. I think the most challenging thing that I had accomplished was finshing the center point for the circle. I ended up finding it by dividing the height by two and then subtracting by the diameter and dividing that value by two. That gave me the point at which the circle ends. So from there I drew a line the length of the diameter and drew a circle from it. The rectangle was pretty easy because you didn't really have to calculate much of the distances. I still have the question as per how to finish the star. I was unable to complete it and I might have found out if I had more time. However, as a total, I was unable to finish it and do consider this my next challenge. I hope that by the end of the year, at the least, I can learn how to complete this, and the entire project with much more fluidity.

This was the "shelter" my partner Vijay and I built. We built with 30 toothpicks and gum drops. The main inspiration we had in this was the x-bracing that is used in buildings to protect from earthquakes. Above that we realized that the largest potential problem would be a loss of balance so we created side supports that can catch the shelter from falling completely if it were to fall.

1. Our primary shapes were triangles and squares.

2. 60.95 and 45 degrees were the angles of that were used in this project

3. 60.5 in^2 was the surface area and we would need around 60.5 in^2 of a material like cement or brick to cover the shelter

4. 15.625 in^2 insides was the interior surface area. it could potentially fit 30 people,

5. We took factors like the weather and environment into consideration as we tried to create a roof and x-braced the shelter to be less prone to destruction in the event of a natural disaster.

6. We could clearly see the form of the object being established through solving the issue with functionality. An example would be the x bracing and how we worked with triangles to have more stability in the actual structure.

How to make a sphere

My question was how to make a sphere? Some things seemed easy enough, but a sphere almost seemed impossible. You can't extrude a circle because that creates a cylinder and nothing else came to mind. After this video i learned about how you can use a circle tool and revolve it. By doing so, you allow the circle to create a sphere.

This is the video I used.f
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0HAUC8p6c

Also to lweanr from another friend, I used the help of my friend ashab. Ashab had managed to create a cylinder so I asked him how to make one. He lead me through the steps pf creating a triangle, and then revolving it. At the end of this project, I managed to lean how to make a sphere and a cylinder.0

Form follows function

At first when I was thinking about what could be improved on in the world, I had a little bit of trouble. I couldn't think immediately of something that needed improving that wasn't already created. Then I realized that the place where I was sitting at could easily be upgraded. I realized that desks, the staple in every classroom, where not made for the student. These were drab things that we used on a daily basis, but it was not geared towards helping students. So my plan was to create a desk where students can have something to look forward to their studies. I was thinking of a white board desk that students can use to take notes and let their creativity flow. We have seen this technology in a white board notebook called letterforms. It would be an easier way for people to be enthusiastic about studies. I felt that the way to construct it would to have the whiteboard be at the top of the desk and then we could also have a scanning technology built into the desk to be able to copy down any notes taken into a digital format. This reminds me a lot of this dry erase notebook called letterforms that was created to serve this exact purpose.It is very similar to this product, but it is also very different in the sense that we can scan the surface, so it is no longer just a note taking device, but can also take it from being physical to digital. Now this is just in the preliminary stages. I do feel like there is a lot that can be improved on. Like It could be a much larger desk which would help with group projects, and so on.

Why is it important to model an idea before making a final prototype? This question arises an awful lot. I myself used to think," hey I'll just make it, that's easier." However after this project i recognize how difficult it is to actually execute a process beforehand so you know what to actually expect when you are testing your project. You can have a better understanding in what you are testing and on what you can improve on which helps you out a lot more than people think it does. I feel like my puzzle manages to have that,"oh!" feeling when people find out how to do it. At first I was unaware that my puzzle was difficult, but after I saw so many people try and always have this moment of understanding when I solved it for them really satisfied me. I felt like I had created something that was actually entertaining. If I could change something from my puzzle it would be to maybe make the puzzle a little more simple. I felt like "oh" moments are good, but having people get too fed up over it isn't either. There is a small happy medium between challenging and downright irritating and I feel like my puzzle might be leaning towards the irritating side.