Senior Project Proposal

(Kinetic Art Installation)

Team Member Names: Chris Slater, Jamie Spiegel

What will your team’s project look like? What do you envision your finished project to look like?

We plan on making a moving sculpture that uses two overlapping shapes to cast a shadow on the ground. This art piece will run off of two motors that spin the shapes in opposite directions. There will be a strong flood light above these shapes that will direct their shadow. Beneath these components there will be a stationary compass star welded out of metal that serves to be aesthetically pleasing and to draw attention upward to the recessed lighting and view of the shapes spinning.

The entire structure will be constructed from metal and will have a silver, metallic look. We envision the project to look interesting from multiple positions, as the shadow will be moving to create a pattern on the ground as the motors run the shapes above.

What Physics concepts will you be showing?

The physics component of our project lies mostly in the focal length that we will need to test as we decide where the lights will be placed in comparison in alignment with the object. Also, it will show magnification- as the shadow will be significantly larger than the shapes themselves. There is also a noteworthy amount of physics in the simple act of projecting a shadow as by merely observing a shadow, one can guess what the object being projected looks like by viewing the shadow’s reflection from several angles. The speed of a shadow is not restricted to be less than the speed of light. In our project, the shadow will be cast onto the ground, which is parallel to the spinning objects and light. The speed will be multiplied by a factor D/d where D is the length of the light to the wall and d is distance from the light to the moving object. The farther the distance that the shadow is being cast, the shadow will be delayed by the time the light takes to get there- but still amplified by the D/d ratio.

What will your project teach and how?

By observing our project, people will learn about a new way of looking at kinetic art. Hopefully, people will be looking at the project at many different angles to see how it works and what it is accomplishing by working (the shadow.) Scientifically and mathematically, the most obvious thing people will notice is the difference in size of the spinning shapes and the shadow they create. We expect that this will make them question, why is the shadow bigger? How far away is the light from the shapes? Can we create our own shadows using this light? How will the shadows we create differentiate from the shadow they created? Also, they will be looking at the shapes, and notice the geometry in their figure. By observing how they overlap, people will view how the angles of the spinning shapes affect the way that the shadow looks.

Materials:

1. Thin wood to cut the primary shapes from (for plasma cutter)
2. Sheet metal for the final shapes
3. ¼” thick metal to create compass star base/gearbox
4. 2 motors, chains, gears
5. 3 small flood lights
6. Two long pipes (one hollow, one not) for shaft
7. 4 short rods to connect bases of gearbox
8. Washers, nuts, bolts

Timeline:

Due dates: Project schedule

• September 15th, 2006: Project proposal
• October 2^nd, 2006: First draft of plan view
• October 9^th, 2006: Collage view (to show what it will look like)
• October 15^th, 2006: Fish or cut bait
• October 16^th, 2006: Proof model
• October 23^rd, 2006: Final detailed drawing of plan view
• November 3^rd, 2006: Promotional poster
• November 6^th, 2006: (If needed re-specify scope)
• December 1^st, 2006: Final project due
• December 8^th, 2006: Journal entries due

Team timeline:

• WEEK 1: September 11^th-15^th: Work on and complete project proposal and general research
• WEEK 2: September 18^th-23^rd: More detailed research, begin plan view and work on the wooden shapes
• WEEK 3: September 26^th-October 1^st: Finish plan view, cut the metal shapes using the plasma cutter
• WEEK 4:October 4^th- October 9^th: Work on and complete Collage view, work on compass star base
• WEEK 5:October 12^th-17^th: Cut the metal for the compass star and begin to assemble
• WEEK 6:October 20^th-25^th: Work on the circle for the compass star, inner lining
• WEEK 7: October 28^th-November 2^nd: Weld the 4 big points of the star onto the circle, small points as well.
• LAST MONTH: November 5^th-December 1^st: Work on final display for December 1^st due date
• WEEK ONE: Get the welded star grinded, sanded, glazed
• WEEK TWO: Build gearbox
• WEEK THREE: Get lights in, and test out focal length

o WEEK FOUR: Get lights and motor running & get it hung

• LAST WEEK: December 1^st-December 7^th: Make sure journal is up to date and ready to be turned in along with all paperwork