Contact an Expert by Jack Akerman
Hey Scott, (or Mr. Westerfeld)
Our English teacher assigned us a project on your great book, Uglies, and I even read the whole quartet after finishing this one. The project is about Bungee Jackets and how they work. We figured out that there must be a superconductor grid below the city, so that the bungee jacket is able to function. This superconductor must be cooled in someway or another for it to constantly work. We also believe that there is an electromagnet in the jacket that activates with the body heat of the person using it. An electromagnet is a magnet with a temporary pull/push since it only works with a power source. Also, there has to be a certain type of sensors in buildings, and other surroundings, that are elevated at 2 meters above the ground and these determine if the person wearing the bungee jacket is at the certain height and speed as to be able to open the jacket by pressing a button on his/her left shoulder. Then, the jacket is opened and the person is released. Of course, physically speaking, the jacket wold shoot into the air, never to be seen again. That's why we believe there needs to be a thermal sensor, for the jacket needs to deactivate as soon as the person is released. The reason why we are writing to you is that we would like to ask you how you initially imagined the Bungee Jackets, how they work, and some things you never thought about.
Thank you,
Jack, Maria, Daniel, Alejandro, and Lorenzo.
APA FACTS by Maria Pombo
According to the information gathered by my group, we were able to develop a theory with several facts we found.
We researched many different subjects which include motion, thermal, and height sensors, as well as magnetic levitation and a superconductor magnetic field. All to figure out a teory on how bungee jackets would work. We figured that the jacket must posses a thermal sensor (which could also be a height sensor in its surroundings) that enables the wearer to deactivate the electromagnet in the jacket.
The electromagnet works with an electric current that activates the magnet (Brain/Looper, March 12/2012). We believe that the trigger of the electric current is the heat sensor equipped in the jacket. About magnetic levitation we found out several things. For once, there needs to be something balancing the jacket at opposite extremes for it to float and not turn itself and crash into the ground. These are probably small weights that help the jacket balance itself. (Wikipedia, March 12/2012). Maglev is a way of elevating an object from the floor using magnetic repelling. Magnetic
A sensor is what converts energy for something to detect. Sensors are used very commonly every day. A sensor is what reacts to a signal. The sensor’s quality depends on its sensitivity. (Wikipedia, March 12/2012)
There are 3 types of motion sensors. Motion sensors function with light sensors and when a person blocks that light line, the sensor activates whatever it is supposed to activate. There are others that make the light bounce against the person and detect this, and again activate a sound, a light, or in this case, deactivate a magnetic field (Harris, T., March 12/2012). Sensors can be both passive and active. Passive measure changes in patters and active measure infra-red waves.(Gabriel Gache, May 7/2012).
An electromagnet can be made at home, by wrapping a copper wire around a piece of metal and turning the field on, be it a battery or an electric current. (Brain/Looper, March 12/2012)
We also confirmed that all magnets are bipolar, they contain a North and South pole. North and South attract each other, while the same pole repel themselves. (Brain/Looper, March 12/2012). We also found information on superconductors and how these create a magnetic field. Small magnets are repelled because mirror pole effect, which involves the reflection of the poles to levitate and object. (Nave, March 12/2012). Returning to superconductors, magnetic fields are centered at a superconductor, since it is from here where the magnetic field sprouts. (Brain/Looper, March 12/2012)
Nowadays, magnetic levitation is used in several aspects, such as maglev trains (which are currently developing), cargo, magnetic bearings, and product daily purposes. Magnetic Levitated trains, or maglevs, use electromagnets to levitate, since the push or pull is temporary and a constant force would completely stop the train.
In the Uglies Project, I had to describe the product (step 4). Here is the final draft of my part:
4. Object description
A bungee jacket is like a lightweight suit that covers your torso, arms and legs until the knee. A famous resemblance of this suit comes from the movie Mission Impossible 4, in the part of the Indian Mansion. This suit is made of electromagnet plates (plates of aluminum-titanium alloy for maximum magnetic repulsion) that will be covered in soft pads so the passenger is comfortable. The suit weighs about 4 kg. It is not the lightest suit, however its heaviness comes from the metals that conform the magnets. They will have a chip that sends signals regularly to an external sensor, which is positioned in the walls of every building. The sensor is responsible for the triggering of the suit.
The technology works through magnetic levitation. A superconducter is placed underground, which will be responsible for the magnetic levitation. The superconducter is a metal that needs to be at an extremely low temperature. The low temperature makes the difference between a simple conducter and a superconducter. The second one is more powerful, which guarantees safety to the passenger.
To trigger the electromagnets in the suit, two sensors are placed in the building. They are designed to calculate the amound of kinetic energy the passenger has from the fall and when to trigger the magnets for the passenger to be safe and secure. The sensors will also control the electromagnets in the suit so that the passenger can be able to get off it and not remain levitated all the time.
A special thing that the suit has is that one size fits all. The material used to make the jacket is so flexible, that it can fit from a fetus to the most obese person in the world. It is somewhat like the suit used by Helen Parr (Elastigirl in the Ingredibles). It has the nessessary technology to be comfortable for all the consumers.
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