Edison and Ohm’s Law-June Sri

According to Ohm’s law, I=V/R where I is the current in amperes, V is the electromotive force in volts, and R is the resistance to the current in ohms. From the formula, the higher the resistance, and the lower the electromotive force, the less current is needed in the electric lighting system. If less current is needed to operate the electric lighting system, then less money is spent on the equipment needed for making the path, thus less money would be spent on the overall light bulb path. Edison applied his understanding of the Ohm’s law in the design of his electric lighting system. He ran very low current through thin copper wires to save money. Thin copper wire itself is cheap and has a high resistance. From electrical resistance formula, R= (ℓ * ρ)/A (ℓ is the length of the conductor in meters, A is the cross-sectional area in square meters, ρ is the electrical resistivity (specific electrical resistance) of the material in Ohms) the lower the cross-sectional area is, and the higher length of the conductor and the electrical resistivity of the material are, the higher the resistance is. From the combination of the formula above, Edison developed a high-resistance light bulb operating at a low voltage and ran very low current through thin copper wires.

Engineering Specialties-June Sri

 

From getting a degree in electrical engineering, I can work as a foreign service specialist-security engineering officer. A security engineering officer is responsible for the protection of the Department of State from terrorism, crime, and technical espionage. They manage technical and information security programs, projects, and resources. A security engineering officer conducts technical security assessments and recommend security upgrades to deter terrorism and technical espionage. They identify security risks, analyzes those risks, and specifies system requirements to ensure the integrity of stand-alone computers and network information systems. They travel throughout the world to service embassies and consulates, often in remote locations, including the transport of technical supplies and materials by airplane, train, and public transportation (U.S. Department of State).

In order for me to be successful in the field, I need to understand all requirement classes for engineering and learn what I can do to protect the Department of State from terrorism. I must learn from a security engineering officer himself. I have to try to develop a better security device. I also need to do an internship as soon as possible. So that, I will be able to do my job professionally in the future. For my strength, I can build on foreign languages. I can speak English, Thai, and a little bit of Chinese. I want to continue my study in Chinese, and learn French and Arabic. I think foreign languages will help me work in different countries. I also want to build on my skill in management, and my Physical skill. Weaknesses that I have to correct are the lack of ability to use computer programs, my writing skills, and keep myself updated.

Bibliography

U.S. Department of State, ed. “DIPLOMATIC SECURITY ENGINEERING OFFICER.” U.S. Department of State Careers. 09 Sept. 2008 <http://careers.state.gov>.

Engineering Achievments- June Sri

 

I consider electricity the most important of engineering achievements of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Elecricity changed our very way of life. It dates back to the 19^th century when Edison first invented electric light bulb. Before then, most people used gas as their fuel. Gas fuel is very dangerous and is difficult to replace once it is used up. Naturally, elecricity was found to be the answer to what could be used to replace natural fuels like oil.

There is much debate about the oil crisis right now. There is an increasing demand for oil due to the boost in the auto industry, but there is not enough gas. This need for oil is causing prices at the gas stations to rise which, in effect, is causing the prices for food and other goods to rise as well. Cars that use electricity instead of fuel can resolve these problems. Electricity is also used to make electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, and an artificial body organelle such as an artificial heart.

I also consider the airplane an important engineering achievement of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. After the Wright brothers’ famous trials at Kitty Hawk, people changed their beliefs about flight. In modern times, the airplane is a very important form of transportation. Airplanes are useful in shortening the time to travel long distances. Airplanes are also used in war and for observation, collecting valuable information.

 

Self-evaluation- June Sri

If I would compare myself as an athlete, I see myself as a Go game (a Chinese strategy board game) player. As a warrior, I never give up until the game is over. I always keep trying, and I always think positive even though it shows on the board that I might lose for sure. As an explorer, I learn from my opponent. I observe tricks my opponent uses against me. As a judge, I use what I observe from my opponent to create my own style. I learn from my mistakes and become a better player. Even if I lose, I learn and think of ways of defeating my opponents. The key to success is thinking outside of the box.

My weaknesses are using computers and writing in English. When it comes to using the computer I only know how to do basic things such as using the internet and writing papers. I want to learn how to do something creative like using Photoshop. In my school in Thailand, we rarely needed to use computers for our work. I only really began to use the computer when I came to the U.S. two years ago. In order to overcome this weakness, I received help from my friends and teachers. I also read books and learned about how to use the computer programs. Another weakness is my ability to write in English. I think that my English has improved a lot in the past two years, but I still can’t seem to fill in the gaps. Spoken English and English vocabulary that I learned in Thailand only gave me the ability to survive in countries that use English. I can’t really express my own ideas or write what I really want to say in English. Those weaknesses limit my ability to turn my ideas into real things.

My strengths are that I always listen to everyone’s ideas and I try to integrate them into one new idea that represents all of us and creates a “happy medium”. All different, all unique!

Introductions- June Sri

My name is Sureeporn Srikasem, but you can called me “June”. This is my second year in the United States, which I moved to from Thailand. In my junior year, I was in Houston, TX as a foreign exchange student with the American Field Service (AFS) intercultural program. In my senior year, I moved to Arlington, VA because my stepdad came here for work.

I am an electrical engineering major. I am interested in becoming an electrical engineer because of my real dad. He was an electrical engineering professor in Thailand and always brought home things that his students built for me to play with. I had fun with playing these things, but I wasn’t really interested in becoming an engineer until I broke his student’s soccer robot. It looked like a small square car that I could sit in, drive it around, and use a control button to pick the ball up. So I tried it and the robot crashed into the fence and broke into small pieces. My father picked the pieces up and fixed the robot.It surprised me that he could fix something that I think would have ended up in the garbage. He showed me that knowledge from the book is something to be applied. Since I love Physics and Mathematics so much. Becoming an engineer is a great path for me to apply what I love to real life.

Edison Miracle of Light- June Sri

 

From watching the documentary “Edison: Miracle of Light”, I learned more about Edison himself and what he invented. His inspiration, his personality, and his way of thinking changed the world.

Edison came from a poor family. He was self-taught and began work from a very young age. All of his work was related to technology. He knew the ways to improve things, invent things, and make things better. When he worked at the telograph industry, he invented a stock ticker and the electric vote recorder. The invention that first made him famous was the phonograph. He found a way to record sound. Edison showed us that he could always invent something new from basic, everyday items, that we might not think of.

He taught people that invention can be useful to others. He thought that it would help to make the world the better place to live so, he invented things. Since people always want what they don’t already have, there will always be something new to invent. Edison decided that he want to replace the gas light with electric light. He worked very hard, and he did not give up though media critics said that he was a liar when he underestimated the time needed to create the electric light. He was called a liar because he said that the electric light would finished in three weeks, but he finished it in three years. He was very stubborn, but at that time, his stubbornness made him to become successful because he continued his work until it was finished.

He became famous because his hard work paid off. Menlo Park, which was where his laboratory was,became better and better. However, life wasn’t always stable, this meant high risk brings high return. When George Westinghouse made the alternating current usable, Edison had not been wanted by many companies anymore. The alternating current was created to help with the growth of railroads. Edison was not ready give up the thought that direct current was the safest one and that an alternating was very dangerous. He even used the electricity in his experiment to see which current would kill animals faster. He tried everything he could to get his status back, to prove his own beliefs. After he knew that the direct current was not as useful as alternating current, he understood that he could not win the status over Westinghouse. He decided to invent something new, something that was not related to electricity.

The material in the documentary was thought to be well presented. It showed the good and bad parts of Edison’s life. The movie showed both Edison’s achievements and Edison’s life story. The way the documentary was presented was well-organized.

From the Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric, I think that Edison had all those four qualities in him. These qualities being Explorer, Artist, Judge, and Warrior. Edison balances all these qualities very well, but it seems to be that warrior fits him best. As a warrior, he was very persistent, and he was willing to follow his goals all the way through to the end.