Pictures Last Forever

What is light?
I never took time to think about this complicated question until my class, “Light, Sound, and Time”, challenged me to answer it. First, we studied the different parts of the human eye and what they do to process images. We compared that process to a camera, which showed that the two have similar procedures! Then, the class and I delved into the science of light. Light is electromagnetic radiation, which can appear as either waves or particles. The range in frequency of the light waves is categorized in the Electromagnetic spectrum. Our eyes can only see the “visible light” portion of the EM spectrum, which are the colors of the rainbow. Other living things, such as the helmet gecko lizard or mantis shrimp, can see different light waves that humans can’t because of how their eye is formed. The science of diverse eyes amazes me, and it makes me wonder what certain colors I see differently than other organisms.

This unit was very interesting to me because it made me realize the science of my everyday life. It felt personal and important to know how my eyes receive light mathematically and scientifically.

For this Action Project, I built a pinhole camera that could successfully take a picture. It was a very tedious procedure. My pinhole camera was constructed from an empty oatmeal container, aluminum, and black paint. I made my lens by poking a pin through the aluminum. Then, I cut a quarter-sized hole into the container for a space for the lens. I made a shutter for the lens too so I can control how long the film gets exposed to light. I painted the inside of the camera black because that color absorbs stray light that doesn’t hit the film. If it was painted white, any other colors, or not painted at all, the photons of light coming from the pinhole would scatter around and overexpose the image.

JMP, Pinhole Camera (2019)

JMP, Lens, (2019)

The Latin School of Chicago generously gave our class a 90 minute photography lesson on how to take pictures with our pinhole cameras and how to develop the film. A red dinosaur was the main focus of my intended photo. I took off the shutter for three minutes and thirty seconds to let the light photons shine only through the pinhole and imprint an image onto the film in the back of my camera.

Hiu To, Untitled, (2019)

The light bounced off the top of the dinosaur and hit the paper in a straight line toward the bottom of the film. The light that bounced off the bottom of the dinosaur hit the top of the paper. This projected the image upside down on the film inside the camera.

JMP,  Pinhole Image, (2019)

Here is the image that my pinhole camera took. About 75% of the image appears to be underexposed because there isn’t a figure on it. The other 25% has the checkerboard backdrop and the back of the dinosaur. I think only part of the image was successful because my pinhole was too small and the film was not correctly aligned with the pinhole. I am still proud that I was able to get an image of something.

JMP, Projection of Dinosaur, (2019)

My camera does not use reflection or refraction to produce an image; as it is an example of light
behaving like a particle because the paper absorbs the light photons. If the light was behaving like a wave, the waves would reflect off the film and would not produce an image. Since the photons stay in air and not another medium while it hits the film, it does not use refraction. It uses visible light from the electromagnetic spectrum in order to produce the image.

Here are my calculations that show the interactions between the light rays, the camera, and the dinosaur.

JMP. Calculations, (2019)

This STEAM Action Project is now my favorite I have done at GCE. I loved my experience in a dark room in my freshman year at another school, and I always wished to use a dark room again. It felt very accomplishing to create a working camera and get an image. The project felt very connected to the math I calculated. The process was very tedious, but I just spent more time to make sure my work is precise.

Driven by Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

My class called "A Nation's Argument" taught me how to formulate an argument. I was tested on the first to day to argue against someone for a topic my teacher knew I was not passionate about. It challenged me to push my opinion aside and create an opposite argument. The class dissected the argument and pointed out that there were reasons made to support the conclusion. The professional term for reasons in an argument are called "premises". We practiced how to create premises after studying examples of arguments. We spent majority of our class time studying the Declaration of Independence. There were many reasons why that declaration became a famous paper that America looks up to. Since we wanted to have a closer look at an executive argument, we went to The Chicago Circuit Courthouse in downtown. There was only little time to visit so we had thirty minutes to study a case. After having thoughtful conversations with my class about what makes a successful argument, I created a Declaration of Study that will meet my unalienable rights as a student and a citizen.

In this Declaration, I am arguing for a course that will fit three unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is important to have these rights met wherever teenagers are: home, outside, or in school. GCE does not offer drivers education, which is an important life skill that teenagers should acquire in high school. I am exercising my right of freedom of speech to tell GCE in a professional manner that I want this new asset to my learning experience as a global citizen.

GCE Lab School is an environment that offers students integrated courses, form relationships with peers, and develop life skills. These skills teach students how to support themselves and become fruitful citizens of the future. High schoolers learn so their open mind can benefit themselves and the people they talk to. If GCE intends to inspire, prepare, and connect students to the world outside of the classroom, then there should be courses that embrace our unalienable rights. I believe that we, the students at GCE Lab School, deserve a drivers ed course. Our unalienable rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Learning how to drive will give us a glimpse of what it means to be at the best possible condition of life. Driving is an independent activity that gives us the liberty to get to places on our own. Most importantly, the pursuit of happiness will be connected. Having a license at an early age will let us pursue a happy life in a safe way. This Declaration takes basic human rights into consideration.

The guiding question for the creation of this course is...

Why is driving an important life skill?

I will now list my premises for the argument. Premises are statements that will justify my argument.

P1. GCE teaches courses that follow their mission of giving their students hands-on learning experiences.

P2. A majority of high schools in the Chicago-land area offer hands-on drivers education classes to students.

P3. GCE's has life skill classes such as cooking, self-defense, and design.

P4.  Learning how to drive is a life skill.

P5. Driver's education class after high school cost hundreds of dollars. 

P6. 50% of GCE's students receive financial aid.

In the Industrial Revolution, an innovative  inventor named Henry Ford invented the automobile. This new invention drastically changed transportation in the world. It gave people the right to go wherever they wanted. Since cars give people the independence to travel freely, I want to follow the trend as early as possible. I have a busy schedule, so relying on public transit can be a disadvantage sometimes.

I will need a couple of resources in order for this class to be successful.

1. A Driver's Education teacher will teach the course material and ensure I know the information
2. In order to take the road test, I will need a car.
3. Informative videos from the state about the safety of driving.
4. Handbook about driving to pass the written test.
5. A guardian to accompany me when I practice driving with a permit.
6. An empty, quiet classroom so I can focus.

In this rigorous course, I will learn about the importance of driving, how to safely drive, and earn a license. I want to be able to pass the road and written test and feel prepared to drive on my own. I will take advantage of this class because I might not be able to afford to after high school. In college, I will need to know how to drive because the skill will make errands and the commute to work more convenient. Some jobs require new hires to have a license, which will place me at a disadvantage if I don't take this class now.

Conclusion: Therefore, drivers education should be one of GCE's life skill courses.

Citations

White, Jesse. “Driver's Handbook – Illinois Rules of The Road 2017.” Drivers Education of America, 14 Feb. 2018, www.driverseducationofamerica.com/illinois/drivers-handbook-illinois-rules-of-the-road-2017/.