Physics Essay/Disertation - IB Extended Essay - ME

[philip02]

Hello!

I need some guidance regarding the topic of my essay.

The EE is a 4000 word essay that has to have a specific, very narrow topic, relating to a specific subject. I've made up my mind on physics as my subject of choice, but not on the topic.

After the IB course I'm looking to do mechanical engineering, as I'm quite interested in the field and have always had a technical way of thinking. I'd like my Extended Essay to give me a brief impression of the things I'd do in the ME course.

As a high school we don't have too many materials available, just what one might expect from an average school, so there's one limit. Regarding my interests, I like cycling (which I'm almost constantly involved with beyond my school and homework hours).Anything regarding transport (cars, trains, ships) would make for an interesting topic. Excuse me for being so general, but mostly anything within these fields would be of interest to me.

I've been advised to stay away from aerodynamics and hydrodynamics as building a testing environment would take up much of my time.

I've read an article about weight distribution in braking (http://www.tarorigin.com/art/Bschmidt/), and the topic seems quite interesting, however I'm also looking for alternative topics. Surprisingly my creativity hasn't gotten me very far concerning this.\

To sum up, I need a topic that will give me a brief view of what I can expect in an ME course, and which will allow to write approximately 4000 words about the topic and my research/results.

I'm looking forward to your ideas!

Kind regards,

Phil

 

[berkeman]

Hello!

I need some guidance regarding the topic of my essay.

The EE is a 4000 word essay that has to have a specific, very narrow topic, relating to a specific subject. I've made up my mind on physics as my subject of choice, but not on the topic.

After the IB course I'm looking to do mechanical engineering, as I'm quite interested in the field and have always had a technical way of thinking. I'd like my Extended Essay to give me a brief impression of the things I'd do in the ME course.

As a high school we don't have too many materials available, just what one might expect from an average school, so there's one limit. Regarding my interests, I like cycling (which I'm almost constantly involved with beyond my school and homework hours).Anything regarding transport (cars, trains, ships) would make for an interesting topic. Excuse me for being so general, but mostly anything within these fields would be of interest to me.

I've been advised to stay away from aerodynamics and hydrodynamics as building a testing environment would take up much of my time.

I've read an article about weight distribution in braking (http://www.tarorigin.com/art/Bschmidt/), and the topic seems quite interesting, however I'm also looking for alternative topics. Surprisingly my creativity hasn't gotten me very far concerning this.\

To sum up, I need a topic that will give me a brief view of what I can expect in an ME course, and which will allow to write approximately 4000 words about the topic and my research/results.

I'm looking forward to your ideas!

Kind regards,

Phil

Welcome to the PF.

One idea that I played with briefly, but have not done any calculations on, would be to build something like canvas tunnels/covers over some bike paths, and pressurize them with a 1-way breeze. The object would be to provide a tail wind for cyclists to use for easier mid-range commuting.

The goal would be overall energy savings and lower carbon emissions compared to internal combustion engines (ICEs). There are plenty of issues to work out, both technical (how to generate the breeze, how to access the tunnels, etc.) and logistical (how to pick/build the best paths, etc.). And there needs to be a calculation of the efficiencies and benefits (fitness is one benefit), to try to justifiy the concept. Then picking a good target city/area and some pilot project paths to see how it works on a small scale...

Anyway, just an idea. It fits in with some of your interests, and involves many ME-type issues. There are some aerodynamic concepts involved, but you can keep that part pretty simple, and just address how much easier it is to maintain a reasonable bike speed when you have a tailwind...

Or maybe this idea helps you to come up with some more brainstorming ideas on your own...

 

[philip02]

That is a very neat idea. I will definitely make a note of that. One thing I'm worried about is the broadness of the topic, but if I focus my attention to the technical side of these canvas covers regarding design and logistics, this might be a very good option!

Any alternative topics are also welcome.

Cheers,

Phil