Reading #2

I learned so much about solar power energy through this exposition. It was very interesting and will be very helpful in the future to know that only 28% of the globe is land. This will make me more knowledgeable when creating products that are environmentally friendly. For instance, maybe something could be created where we can have many solar panels float on bodies of water? Humans have already created so many structures on land and since so much of the globe is covered in water, 72% of the globe, then this could be an extremely useful way to use this space.

I didn’t know before this that solar panels and thermal plants only produce 15% efficiency. This is something that makes me start to think, is there a way we can increase this rate? Is there a way I can recreate solar panels that already exist and how photovoltaic work to make it more efficient?

I learned that the usage of energy in the United States is growing every year, growing at a rate of 2.9%. There is no way that we can continue to use growing amounts of energy, it is physically impossible. This is key for me as well because when designing, it means that it is essential to create items that use as little power as possible. The information presented throughout the article will be helpful when designing for a purpose in the near future.

I was stunned to read this: “The absorption and emission are in near-perfect balance, in fact. If they were not, Earth would slowly heat up or cool down. Indeed, we have diminished the ability of infrared radiation to escape, leading to global warming. Even so, we are still in balance to within less than the 1% level.” With the amount of hype about global warming, I always believed that the absorption and emission rates were much more off balance (since 1% is quite low).

Reading #1

A system that I encounter daily, and coming from the suburbs I use to encounter many times a day, is a car. A car is made up of many parts, some of which are brakes, steering wheel, engine, seatbelts, gas pedal, bumper, headlights… the list goes on and on. These parts work together to create this system- the car. Alone, the parts do not produce the same function as being together. The function of a car is to get from point A to point B.

An inflow for the car would be gasoline. This creates an outflow of carbon dioxide; this gas leaves the car when the gasoline is being burned to make the car function. An inflow is a full tank of gas and the outflow is an empty tank.

There is a feedback loop and a balancing feedback loop in this system. The feedback and balancing feedback loop would be filling up the tank with more gas because it is stabilizing the amount of gas and it is maintaining the level of gas needed in the vehicle. Since gas is being used up, filling the tank stabilizes the level of gas and stabilizes the stock level, which therefore makes it a balancing feedback loop.

The behavior of a car is that it uses gas to make the engine run which therefore makes the wheels spin. This then makes the car move and allows people to travel to other places. The behavior is to travel distances and have the driver steer the car. To sustain this, gas is a vital part of the process of having the car running. Yearly inspections are also vital because it ensures the steering wheel and tires are functioning and that the car is ok to drive. Certain fluids like oil and washer fluid needs to be checked/added to sustain the behavior of the car.

**(I tried to make the graph start at 0,0 but excel would not allow it. Please imagine that it starts at 0,0)**