I'm in high school and I'm taking AP Environmental Science. As an end of the year project we're all supposed to do some kind of an experiment that has something to do with the environment, but I can't think of what to do! One guy I know who took this class before calculated how many gerbils would be needed to produce enough energy to run a car. Other people have done things like calculated how much gas the students at our school use, studied the affects of cigarette smoke on plants, or studied what kind of protesting has been most effective for environmental activists. Many different kinds of experiments have been done. I want to do something new and interesting, but all my ideas are impossible! At first I wanted to find out how much energy is wasted by using the elevator at our school instead of the stairs, but I can't get in touch with the company who put the elevator there, and I wouldn't be able to calculate how much energy is used by walking up the stairs because it differs from person to person. Then I thought maybe I'd see which is more harmful to plants, tobacco smoke or marijuana smoke - then I remembered that marijuana is illegal and I'd probably get in trouble for that. Anyone have any ideas? ~Steph
I think the protest idea would be pretty cool! Or the elevator thing...are you sure you can't get in toch with the company? Good luck!
The energy difference between elevator and stairs is the energy needed to move the car. The weight of the car might be posted on the permit in the elevator. The rest should be basic physics. A spring balance and a known weight will give you the info you need to find out the acceleration and deceleration of the elevator.
