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Aidan Dwyer did a much better job on his 7th grade science project than any of us. While on a wintertime hike in the Catskills, he noticed the branches of trees held a spiral pattern as they ascended. He wondered if that could possibly serve some purpose, looked into it, and learned about the Fibonacci sequence, which is a mathematical way of describing a spiral. Then he studied tree branches more closely and found their leaves adhered to the sequence. Then he figured out that if he arranged solar panels the way an oak tree arranged its leaves, they were 20 to 50 percent more efficient than the standard straight-line solar arrays. That is why the American Museum of Natural History gave him a Young Naturalist award, and published his findings on its website.
13-Year-Old Looks at Trees, Makes Solar Power Breakthrough - Technology - The Atlantic Wire
As the article says, not too shabby for a kid who hasn't even started high school yet.Aidan Dwyer did a much better job on his 7th grade science project than any of us. While on a wintertime hike in the Catskills, he noticed the branches of trees held a spiral pattern as they ascended. He wondered if that could possibly serve some purpose, looked into it, and learned about the Fibonacci sequence, which is a mathematical way of describing a spiral. Then he studied tree branches more closely and found their leaves adhered to the sequence. Then he figured out that if he arranged solar panels the way an oak tree arranged its leaves, they were 20 to 50 percent more efficient than the standard straight-line solar arrays. That is why the American Museum of Natural History gave him a Young Naturalist award, and published his findings on its website.
Nope. Purely random. No, really. At least, that's what I've been told.13-Year-Old Looks at Trees, Makes Solar Power Breakthrough - Technology - The Atlantic Wire
As the article says, not too shabby for a kid who hasn't even started high school yet.Aidan Dwyer did a much better job on his 7th grade science project than any of us. While on a wintertime hike in the Catskills, he noticed the branches of trees held a spiral pattern as they ascended. He wondered if that could possibly serve some purpose, looked into it, and learned about the Fibonacci sequence, which is a mathematical way of describing a spiral. Then he studied tree branches more closely and found their leaves adhered to the sequence. Then he figured out that if he arranged solar panels the way an oak tree arranged its leaves, they were 20 to 50 percent more efficient than the standard straight-line solar arrays. That is why the American Museum of Natural History gave him a Young Naturalist award, and published his findings on its website.
So the arraignment of leaves on a tree follow the Fibonacci sequence, resulting in optimum efficiency.
Wow, one might almost imagine that there was an intelligence behind their design...
So far, so great. But The Capacity Factor, clearly unhappy with its role of the Grinch who must squash an adolescent's science discovery, has written a post called "In which hopelessly inept journalists reduce me to having to debunk a school science project." (The post as of this moment is temporarily unavailable, though we link to the cache.) The post indicates about Dwyer's discovery: "This is, I'm sad to say, clear nonsense. I'll take this in two parts: one, why his experiment is, unfortunately, completely broken (sorry again). Two, why the imagined result is impossible nonsense."
Part one: "Broken Experiment."
Most importantly, by mistake he did not measure power outputs from the solar cells. Instead he measured voltage, without a load attached ("open circuit"). They are barely related -- in solar cells, voltage is actually almost a constant, independent of power.
Demonstrating the difference with a series of equations and graphs, it comes to this conclusion: "End result: measuring the solar cells' [open-circuit voltage] over time, and adding them up, is garbage data, and has nothing to do with energy production."
Part two: "Unreasonably Theory."
The blog also indicates that the theory behind the discovery itself is problematic: "I'm not sure I understand the confusion by which people think there could be some advantage, to orienting panels at sub-optimal angles. That somehow combining sub-optimal panels, together, makes them generate more energy in the net." It then goes to demonstrate via equations that "if the individual angles in the 'tree' are worse then the 45°-tilted south-facing panels in the flat array (they obviously are), so is their combination."
Finger-pointing: It's not the seventh grader's fault, it's the media's fault.
The blog does not blame the seventh grader for imperfect science, but actually the news media for blowing up this story and putting a 13-year-old into the spotlight for an impressively ambitious but unfortunately incorrect claim. It ends with this open question: "How did this confused science project became international news?"
Awww.
Blog Debunks 13-Year-Old Scientist's Solar Power Breakthrough - Technology - The Atlantic Wire
So far, so great. But The Capacity Factor, clearly unhappy with its role of the Grinch who must squash an adolescent's science discovery, has written a post called "In which hopelessly inept journalists reduce me to having to debunk a school science project." (The post as of this moment is temporarily unavailable, though we link to the cache.) The post indicates about Dwyer's discovery: "This is, I'm sad to say, clear nonsense. I'll take this in two parts: one, why his experiment is, unfortunately, completely broken (sorry again). Two, why the imagined result is impossible nonsense."
Part one: "Broken Experiment."
Most importantly, by mistake he did not measure power outputs from the solar cells. Instead he measured voltage, without a load attached ("open circuit"). They are barely related -- in solar cells, voltage is actually almost a constant, independent of power.
Demonstrating the difference with a series of equations and graphs, it comes to this conclusion: "End result: measuring the solar cells' [open-circuit voltage] over time, and adding them up, is garbage data, and has nothing to do with energy production."
Part two: "Unreasonably Theory."
The blog also indicates that the theory behind the discovery itself is problematic: "I'm not sure I understand the confusion by which people think there could be some advantage, to orienting panels at sub-optimal angles. That somehow combining sub-optimal panels, together, makes them generate more energy in the net." It then goes to demonstrate via equations that "if the individual angles in the 'tree' are worse then the 45°-tilted south-facing panels in the flat array (they obviously are), so is their combination."
Finger-pointing: It's not the seventh grader's fault, it's the media's fault.
The blog does not blame the seventh grader for imperfect science, but actually the news media for blowing up this story and putting a 13-year-old into the spotlight for an impressively ambitious but unfortunately incorrect claim. It ends with this open question: "How did this confused science project became international news?"
13-Year-Old Looks at Trees, Makes Solar Power Breakthrough - Technology - The Atlantic Wire
As the article says, not too shabby for a kid who hasn't even started high school yet.Aidan Dwyer did a much better job on his 7th grade science project than any of us. While on a wintertime hike in the Catskills, he noticed the branches of trees held a spiral pattern as they ascended. He wondered if that could possibly serve some purpose, looked into it, and learned about the Fibonacci sequence, which is a mathematical way of describing a spiral. Then he studied tree branches more closely and found their leaves adhered to the sequence. Then he figured out that if he arranged solar panels the way an oak tree arranged its leaves, they were 20 to 50 percent more efficient than the standard straight-line solar arrays. That is why the American Museum of Natural History gave him a Young Naturalist award, and published his findings on its website.
That's why Republicans don't need to go to school. They learn everything they need to know from "trees".
13-Year-Old Looks at Trees, Makes Solar Power Breakthrough - Technology - The Atlantic Wire
Aidan Dwyer did a much better job on his 7th grade science project than any of us. While on a wintertime hike in the Catskills, he noticed the branches of trees held a spiral pattern as they ascended. He wondered if that could possibly serve some purpose, looked into it, and learned about the Fibonacci sequence, which is a mathematical way of describing a spiral. Then he studied tree branches more closely and found their leaves adhered to the sequence. Then he figured out that if he arranged solar panels the way an oak tree arranged its leaves, they were 20 to 50 percent more efficient than the standard straight-line solar arrays. That is why the American Museum of Natural History gave him a Young Naturalist award, and published his findings on its website.
As the article says, not too shabby for a kid who hasn't even started high school yet.
Poor kid likely will flunk out due to failing in one or more of:
1. Food (pyramid)(platter) studies.
2. Presidential Physical Fitness Training.
3. Socialist indoctrination.
He oughta give up on plans for college and start a business - in some other country.
Poor kid likely will flunk out due to failing in one or more of:
1. Food (pyramid)(platter) studies.
2. Presidential Physical Fitness Training.
3. Socialist indoctrination.
He oughta give up on plans for college and start a business - in some other country.
Yea, the Republican Doctrine "Give up on college". Because "college bad".
You're the ambassador for Smart bad, Stupid good.Poor kid likely will flunk out due to failing in one or more of:
1. Food (pyramid)(platter) studies.
2. Presidential Physical Fitness Training.
3. Socialist indoctrination.
He oughta give up on plans for college and start a business - in some other country.
Yea, the Republican Doctrine "Give up on college". Because "college bad".
Republicans in a Conservative College:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeDpnGk5ZE4&"]Clint Eastwood - I Talk to the Trees - YouTube[/ame]
Yea, the Republican Doctrine "Give up on college". Because "college bad".
