Kugel is German for "ball"

So, I found this really cool engine 2 weeks ago. I read about it in a couple of articles (that I couldn't count as an article for RC because they weren't over 750 words) and I found it really interesting. I'm still a little confused on the whole mechanics of it all but I'm going to start searching up more articles about it and get a better understanding. So, the engine was designed by Dr. H üttlin and his team and was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. He named it the kugelmotor because kugel is German for ball and the engine itself if a spherical engine. My understanding of it, so far, is that the engine's spherical design gives you the milage of a hybrid engine and runs on almost any fuel. Like I said, I still don't fully understand the mechanics of it. I just thought it was a really cool concept for an engine.

Here are a variety of pictures of the Hüttlin Spherical Engine 

Blog 20: Three Column Chart First Draft

Three Column Chart

Blog 19: Senior Project and ESLRs

1) I think I've excelled most in being an Effective Learner

2) I think I have excelled in this ESLR because I have actually assumed responsibility for my own learning by going to my mentorship and learning as much as I can about mechanics by doing a lot of hands on work on customers' cars and my own car.

3) To check for evidence call 626)814-4694 which is the number to the shop where I do mentorship. Ask for Daniel.

Blog 18: 2-Hour Meeting Answer #3

1) What is the most important factor in maintaining the efficiency of an automobile?

2) My third answer is, you have to know your vehicle.

3) It's one thing to know how your car works. It's a completely different thing to know your car.
Fact: You don't have to be a mechanic to know your car.
Ex: Know what noises your car usually makes, if any, and what noises seem unusual.

4) My mentor and certified mechanic, Jorge Ramos.

5) What I want to do next is get in the car of every customer and listen to what noises the car is making before we fix them and what noises the car makes after we fix them. I want to do this and then ask the customer about it to see if they know their car and if they don't, I want to ask how often their car breaks down. The reason for this is to justify my answer even more.

Blog 16: 2 Hour meeting Answer #2

1) What is the most important factor in maintaing the efficiency of an automobile?

2) I actually still don't know what my second answer will be because I have my interview 3 with my mechanic on 2/7/13 and plan on getting my second answer from that interview. But, if worst comes to worst, then my second answer will be, always making sure that your tires are good because a lot of people overlook the tires of a car and don't realize how important it is to have your tires - and everything involved with your tires - in good condition.

3) Three details to justify or support my second answer are:

• if your tires aren't at the required PSI, your car could be using more force than needed, which leads to using up more gas.
• if there are any lumps in your tires or your tires are really worn out, you could have a possible blow out or your car's tires may not be rotating as they should
• not only do your tires have to be good but the alignment of your tires have to good too or your car will not run as well as it should

4) Auto Repair for Dummies

5) I plan to continue the study of my answer 2 by checking the tires of all the cars that come into the shop and comparing them all with one another and seeing what difference it really makes to have good or bad tires.

Blog 10: Senior Project Update

1) I still haven't been able to find a class on auto mechanics so I think I'm just going to take an online class. As for the restoration of a car, well, that seems to be a bit of a problem because I haven't found anyone in my neighborhood that needs help restoring a classic car. I also haven't been able to find another mentor. Let's just say, things aren't going my way.

2) I actually read an article on muscle cars that wasn't part of my research that didn't exactly help me with what to do next but helped me find a possible answer to my EQ. It talked about vital things to take care of when you have a classic muscle car. Up to the point that I had read that article, I was focusing all my possible answers of my EQ on the inner workings of a car. The article talked about the vital things you have to take care of on the outside of the car - the chrome, paint, tires, etc. And now I know that I can't just focus my answers on the inner working of a car but also on the aesthetically pleasing parts of the car.

3) Well, I now have to find an online auto mechanics class, so I guess links of where I plan to get my classes would work, right? I might even try UTI but I think I might have to be graduated for that. But, it's worth a shot.

First choice

Second choice

Blog 9: Working EQ and Possible Answers

1) What was the working EQ you used during your presentation?

What is the most important factor in maintaining a classic muscle car? 

2) Did you decide to revise your working EQ after your presentation? If so, write your revised EQ here. If not simply write "I am not going to revise my EQ at this time."

I am not going to revise my EQ at this time. 

3) What are possible answers to your current working EQ? 

1) Checking for and controlling leaks

2) Periodic wash and buff of exterior 

3) Periodic transmission and engine check up 

Blog 2: Topic Choice

A: What is your topic and why? 

My topic is auto mechanics. I chose this because now that I started driving, I realized that I don't only have to worry about how I drive, but I also have to worry about the maintenance of my car. After realizing this, I noticed that I know nothing about cars. I've always found cars interesting, but I never really took the time to learn anything about them. After my 10 hours, I thought that working with cars is actually pretty cool and, in a sense, fun. Now, I really want to learn more about cars because I think that if I can learn enough about them, I might just have fun with my senior project after all and I might develop a new found love for working with cars.

B: What do you hope to accomplish this year with this topic? (connecting you answer to each of the 4 ESLRs)

• iPoly Citizen: During my 10 hours, I learned that working with cars is more difficult than working with people because one of the main skills that you need to have as a mechanic is patience. Auto mechanics requires a lot of patience because if something doesn't work out the way you planned or you can't figure out what the problem of the car is, you will get frustrated unless you have a lot of patience. Through this topic, I plan to learn to have patience with things which will, in turn, also allow me to have patience with people. Not only that, but if I really start to become good at auto mechanics, I can help out people at iPoly that are having problems with their cars. 
• Effective Communicator: As a mechanic, you have to know how to talk to people because you have to talk to customers and people working at auto shops. My mentor taught me that one of the most important things to know is how to talk to people because although you won't work them much, when you do, it'll be important. You have to know how to talk to people at auto shops so that, if possible, you can get car parts for a lower price than they usually are. As for your customers, you have to know how to explain to them what exactly is wrong with their car and you have to know how to listen to them to try to decipher what the problem with their car is as soon as they get to the shop. I plan to learn how to better communicate with people by learning to communicate with our clients. 
• Effective Learner: There are a lot of things that you have to know when it comes to cars. You have to know the inner mechanisms, how things work, and how to fix them. Through this topic, I plan to learn how to remember and store a lot of information at once.
• Effective User of Technology: Because of the advancements of technology in cars, I have to know how to work the computers in cars how to check what and if there are any problems with the computers of the car. I plan to learn as much as possible about working with the computers of cars and better my understanding of developing technologies.