All Languish engineers should be ashamed they let this kid upstage them like this! :mad:
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/11-year-old-designs-better-sandbag-named-americas-top-young-8C11371015
Quote11-year-old designs a better sandbag, named 'America's Top Young Scientist'
John Roach NBC News
An 11-year-old boy from Florida has designed a new kind of sandbag to better protect life and property from the ravages of saltwater floods. His invention took top honors at a science fair this week, earning him a $25,000 check and a trip to Costa Rica.
"Living in Florida, I'm keenly aware of hurricanes and saltwater flooding," the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge grand prize winner Peyton Robertson, who is a sixth grader at the Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., told NBC News.
"Super-storm Sandy really got me concerned about how people can prepare for that damage from flooding. But today, the most common method of flood protection is sandbags. They are really heavy and difficult to transport and leave gaps in between the bags. So, I redesigned the bag," he explained.
Instead of sand, his bag is filled with a mixture of salt and an expandable polymer. When dry, it is lightweight, easy to move and easy to store. Once the bag is positioned, such as to create a barrier around a house, users hose it down with water. The polymer absorbs the water, swells and fills the volume of the bag.
"I use salt so they are heavier than any approaching seawater ... but the twist is when you add salt to the bag it reduces the swelling of the polymer so you need to recalculate how much you put in," Robertson explained.
In other words, the young scientist, who is already taking pre-calculus and trigonometry, realized an interaction between his super-absorbent polymer and salt that required him to calculate the precise mixture to add to the bag so that the full volume fills when water is added.
The bags also have a novel interlocking mechanism that connects them at their midpoints in order to prevent gaps that floodwaters can penetrate.
Robertson tested the bags in the bathtub and a kiddie pool where they easily outperformed traditional sand-filled sandbags. He next hopes to test them "in a real hurricane situation because that is the only way to figure out what glitches or whatever might be in the solution."
As winner of the Young Scientist Challenge, he was named "America's Top Young Scientist" at an award ceremony on Tuesday that also comes with the $25,000 check, which he can spend however he pleases, though has expressed interest in saving it for college.
In addition, Robertson and the other three top finalists will go on a trip next summer to Costa Rica. These are:
Brooke Martin from North Central High School in Spokane, Wash., who created the iCUPooch device that allows pet owners to video chat and give their pets a treat when away from home;
Srijay Kasturi, a home-school student from Reston, Va., who invented a device that helps the visually impaired detect objects in their path;
and Daniel Culver from Montrose High School in Montrose, Colo., who invented an indoor cookstove that reduces harmful carbon dioxide emissions.
Between now and the trip abroad, Robertson said he will continue to pursue his passions inside the classroom as well as hone his skills on the golf course, where he plays competitively.
"I usually shoot from the white tees somewhere around the low 80s, high 70s," he said. "So, I'm pretty good."
Quote from: jimmy olsen on October 10, 2013, 10:57:36 PM
Between now and the trip abroad, Robertson said he will continue to pursue his passions inside the classroom as well as hone his skills on the golf course, where he plays competitively.
"I usually shoot from the white tees somewhere around the low 80s, high 70s," he said. "So, I'm pretty good."
So does he want to be Doogie Howser or Tiger Woods?
I really can't help but smell the hand of daddy (or mam) here. I just don't believe such a young kid could manage things like this alone. Where would he even hear of the materials he used let alone get them?
Quote from: Tyr on October 11, 2013, 09:16:53 AM
I really can't help but smell the hand of daddy (or mam) here. I just don't believe such a young kid could manage things like this alone. Where would he even hear of the materials he used let alone get them?
:huh:
His parents probably bought the supplies, but the kid's already in trigonometry and pre-calc. He's not a typical 11-year-old child. As for hearing about polymer, that's a common thing for elementary school kids to play with to learn about science.
Nobody had ever thought of using polymers in sandbags before?
Quote"I usually shoot from the white tees somewhere around the low 80s, high 70s," he said. "So, I'm pretty good."
Ok now they are just taking this too far.
Quote from: Valmy on October 11, 2013, 09:25:50 AM
Nobody had ever thought of using polymers in sandbags before?
Like the kid said, the problem with polymers is the lack of weight to them. Adding the salt made the difference.
QuoteQuote"I usually shoot from the white tees somewhere around the low 80s, high 70s," he said. "So, I'm pretty good."
Ok now they are just taking this too far.
My first thought was, "Parents need to teach the kid some humility." :P
I'm a bit puzzled. Why would you carry full sandbags around? Isn't the ability to fill them on-site their raison d'être?
Quote from: Iormlund on October 11, 2013, 01:32:54 PM
I'm a bit puzzled. Why would you carry full sandbags around? Isn't the ability to fill them on-site their raison d'être?
Not really (though the sand and bags are generally delivered to the site seperately). Their
raison d'être is that they are cheap. This kid has invented the sandbag world equivalent of the Lamborghini. That's probably why no one bothered to design this before... or, if they did design it, we didn't hear about it.
This isn't the first attempt to refine sandbags. And I think that, should a superior product be desired, the fill-able metal barriers will probably be cheaper than these polymer things, though not as flexible. I can see a market for these polymer bags as last-minute reinforcements for threatened high-value sites, though maybe not as a real replacement for sandbags.
Or you could live on a boat. Worked for Bruce Willis.
Quote from: The Brain on October 11, 2013, 01:47:46 PM
Or you could live on a boat. Worked for Bruce Willis.
Kevin Costner :mad:
Someone will be along in a while to demonstrate a better job can be down with lego bricks. :)
Quote from: Iormlund on October 11, 2013, 01:32:54 PM
I'm a bit puzzled. Why would you carry full sandbags around? Isn't the ability to fill them on-site their raison d'être?
Takes time to do so though, with these you can deploy them right away.
Grumbler is right that the cost will be the limiting factor.
Quote from: merithyn on October 11, 2013, 09:25:15 AM
Quote from: Tyr on October 11, 2013, 09:16:53 AM
I really can't help but smell the hand of daddy (or mam) here. I just don't believe such a young kid could manage things like this alone. Where would he even hear of the materials he used let alone get them?
:huh:
His parents probably bought the supplies, but the kid's already in trigonometry and pre-calc. He's not a typical 11-year-old child. As for hearing about polymer, that's a common thing for elementary school kids to play with to learn about science.
And how is he doing these high level courses?
No matter how smart a kid is its pretty unusual for them to be allowed to do material far above their age level, even if they are capable.
Quote from: Tyr on October 12, 2013, 05:47:26 AM
No matter how smart a kid is its pretty unusual for them to be allowed to do material far above their age level, even if they are capable.
Allowed? :huh:
Quote from: merithyn on October 11, 2013, 09:25:15 AM
As for hearing about polymer, that's a common thing for elementary school kids to play with to learn about science.
:huh: What elementary school teaches about polymers? That's chemistry and not the first year stuff.
Quote from: Zanza on October 12, 2013, 07:22:57 AM
Quote from: merithyn on October 11, 2013, 09:25:15 AM
As for hearing about polymer, that's a common thing for elementary school kids to play with to learn about science.
:huh: What elementary school teaches about polymers? That's chemistry and not the first year stuff.
Schools around here give kids all kinds of materials to play with from preschool on. Things like silica, polymers, clays, etc. to teach them about different textures and that. They don't get into the chemistry of them until later, but the materials aren't unknown to them.
As for who teaches an 11 year old advanced math, I'd say their school. Jeremy was doing Geometry at 12. It doesn't seem such a stretch to find a kid doing pre-calc at 11.
Quote from: merithyn on October 12, 2013, 08:05:00 AM
Schools around here give kids all kinds of materials to play with from preschool on. Things like silica, polymers, clays, etc. to teach them about different textures and that.
I am sure they play with polymers like plastic, wood or paper, but I very much doubt that they have any clue that these are polymers. Unlike silica or clay, "polymer" does not designate a specific material.
The school he's going to is a private school, they generally are much more able to easily accommodate taking courses far outside the normal grade, so there is that.
But even still, most public schools try to be very accommodating if you have a student that excels in certain areas, to the limit of their abilities.
Like the last time I looked into it the typical math progression for "standard" kids was:
7th Grade Pre-Algebra --> 8th Grade Algebra I --> 9th Grade Geometry --> 10th Grade Algebra II, and that finishes the requirements. But if your kid wants to keep doing math they can also do Pre-Calc, Trig, and Calc I and sometimes Calc II if the school offers it.
But if your kid is really good at math there are ways you can skip even having to take Pre-Algebra and get right into Algebra I. The big limitation is what your school offers. If you have a kid whose really good at math and your middle school offers say, Algebra I/Geometry/Algebra II (Algebra II would be for the more advanced track to hit around 9th grade) and your kid is able to demonstrate he already knows Algebra I/Geometry materials they'd let him take Algebra II (he'd be the youngest kid in the class) in 7th grade. But most public middle schools won't offer stuff like Pre-Calc/Trig/Calc at all, because almost none of the students would be able to complete those courses, so it'd literally only be the rare exceptions that would be able to successfully take those courses. If the course isn't offered, it becomes difficult for the public school to offer it. But there are programs where you could get them to take those courses but it might require more work on the parents end.
Quote from: merithyn on October 12, 2013, 08:05:00 AM
Quote from: Zanza on October 12, 2013, 07:22:57 AM
Quote from: merithyn on October 11, 2013, 09:25:15 AM
As for hearing about polymer, that's a common thing for elementary school kids to play with to learn about science.
:huh: What elementary school teaches about polymers? That's chemistry and not the first year stuff.
Schools around here give kids all kinds of materials to play with from preschool on. Things like silica, polymers, clays, etc. to teach them about different textures and that. They don't get into the chemistry of them until later, but the materials aren't unknown to them.
As for who teaches an 11 year old advanced math, I'd say their school. Jeremy was doing Geometry at 12. It doesn't seem such a stretch to find a kid doing pre-calc at 11.
You're wasting your time. Tyr just doesn't understand the concept of someone being SMART.
Quote from: Zanza on October 12, 2013, 08:21:41 AM
I am sure they play with polymers like plastic, wood or paper, but I very much doubt that they have any clue that these are polymers. Unlike silica or clay, "polymer" does not designate a specific material.
This is a link to the Fun with Polymer stuff going on at one of our local elementary schools: http://carriebuseylibrary.weebly.com/polymer-fun.html
My kids have had introductions to this stuff since preschool.
I'm amazed that you and Tyr are arguing so vigorously about what kids do NOT learn in schools HERE. Neither of you have any idea of what's available and what's taught.