Lab Temperature and Temperature-Related Variables Assignment Instructions

ENGR 115 L AB : T EMPERATURE AND T EMPERATURE -R ELATED V ARIABLES A SSIGNMENT I NSTRUCTIONS I NSTRUCTIONS Lab assignments are intended to give you some ‘hands on’ experience in applying the concepts introduced in the course text. They are designed to get you out of your classroom or office and develop the skills of designing experiments and collecting data, and then performing calculations, evaluating the results, and communicating your findings. Labs are more than just number crunching – they are about reflecting on what is both practical and technically sound engineering problem-solving. For each problem below, address the scenario presented and develop engineering solutions. Communicate your results using drawings, pictures, and discussion, supported by calculations developed using the Microsoft Equation Editor or similar tool. Submit your lab report in a single pdf file uploaded to the location provided in Canvas before the due date/time indicated. Each problem should be treated as a micro-report with a problem statement, calculations/work shown to support your solution, and a conclusion/reflection on your findings. P ROBLEMS 1. Contact a natural gas or propane provider in your city and find out how much they charge for each gal or ft 3 . Contact your electric company and determine how much they are charging on average per kWh usage of electricity. If a hot-air gas or propane furnace has an efficiency of 94% and an electric heater has an efficiency of 100%, what is the more economical way to heat your home in your location: gas/propane or electric? Show your calculations and discuss the reasons for your decision. 2. Investigate the value of temperature for the following items. Write a brief report discussing how these values are used in their respective areas. a. What is a normal body temperature? b. What is the temperature range that clinically is referred to as fever? c. What is the normal surface temperature of your body? Is this value constant? d. What is a comfortable room temperature range? What is its significance in terms of human thermal comfort? What is the role of humidity? e. What is the operating temperature range of the freezer in a household refrigerator? 3. Using the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) website link provided in Canvas under the Lab: Temperature and Temperature- Related Variables Resources section as a reference, write a brief report discussing energy performance ratings indicated on the figure to the right. Page 1 of 3

ENGR 115 4. This week, we will calculate how efficiently your MTC harnessed the measured 0.45 J of energy in the Victor mouse trap spring. Use the modified MTC data you collected last week on your five timed runs for the efficiency calculations in this lab.  Calculate the kinetic energy (KE) in Joules for your MTC KE MTC = KE translational + KE rotational KE ( J )= 1 2 m v 2 + ¿ wheels ∗ 1 4 m wheel ∗ v 2 Where, m = mass of MTC v = MTC average velocity = average total distance/average total time m wheel = mass of one wheel Note: make sure to use appropriate units to calculate KE in Joules where 1 J = 1 kg m 2 / s 2  The potential energy (PE in ) in the Victor spring has been measured to be 0.45 J. The spring is the energy going into your MTC to perform the kinetic energy coming out of your MTC. Calculate the MTC efficiency using Efficiency = e out / e ¿ = KE out / PE ¿ Where, e = energy  Show your calculations with units and develop the table below for your data. Discuss your MTC efficiency and other findings. Page 2 of 3