Tangled Electronic Cords
Patrick Devenny, Dryden Brous, and Jacob Darlington
Introduction-
The idea of this project is for us to use everything we have learned over the past three years and put it into one final group project. We were able to choose our groups and the problem we wanted to solve. We had to be very thorough about recording all of our work and use very detailed steps for this project. The problem our group chose to tackle was headphones and cords getting tangled too easily.
Part A.) Presentation and Justification of Problem-
1.) Problems-
- Shoes staying tied
- Ice cream is too hard to scoop
- Vending machines wont accept dollar bills
- Hoodie drawstrings wont stay in hood
- Tangled phone chords
- Inefficient cereal boxes
3.) Problem statement-
We found, based on a survey distributed throughout Stephen Decatur and Worcester Technical High Schools in 2015, that 47 percent of people experience problems with poor quality cell phone utility cables (headphones, chargers, etc.). Also, based on further research on several international websites, we determined it to be a minor worldwide problem.
4.) Justification by three reliable sources--Mann, Adam. "What’s Up With That: Your Earphone Cords Are Determined to Be a Tangled Mess." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 1 July 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015
-In this article, they talk about the problem of tangled headphones and the science behind the headphones getting tangles (knot theory). -Howden, Saffron. "Warning over USB Chargers after Woman Dies from Apparent Electrocution." The Sydney Morning Herald- New South Wales. The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 June 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
-This article is about charging cords and headphones overheating and electrocuting a woman while in use.-Ash, Summer. "Knot Theory: Why Everything Tangles." NPR. NPR, 2 Jan. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
-This article goes over the basics of the experiment conducted by UCSD physicists Douglas Smith and Dorian Raymer to determine the probability of knots forming in ropes/cords.
5.) Market Survey-
We found, based on a survey distributed throughout Stephen Decatur and Worcester Technical High Schools in 2015, that 47 percent of people experience problems with poor quality cell phone utility cables (headphones, chargers, etc.). Also, based on further research on several international websites, we determined it to be a minor worldwide problem.
4.) Justification by three reliable sources--Mann, Adam. "What’s Up With That: Your Earphone Cords Are Determined to Be a Tangled Mess." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 1 July 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015
-In this article, they talk about the problem of tangled headphones and the science behind the headphones getting tangles (knot theory). -Howden, Saffron. "Warning over USB Chargers after Woman Dies from Apparent Electrocution." The Sydney Morning Herald- New South Wales. The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 June 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
-This article is about charging cords and headphones overheating and electrocuting a woman while in use.-Ash, Summer. "Knot Theory: Why Everything Tangles." NPR. NPR, 2 Jan. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
-This article goes over the basics of the experiment conducted by UCSD physicists Douglas Smith and Dorian Raymer to determine the probability of knots forming in ropes/cords.
5.) Market Survey-
6.) Summary- In this part of the project, we really focused on just forming a solid idea as a group. This phase wasn't about solving any problems, it was about getting the group to focus on a problem. We decided to go with the problem of headphones being tangled due to the results of our decision matrix. To support this decision we created a survey to find if tangled headphones were really a problem in society. We found that 92% of people surveyed have experienced problems with tangled headphones. We also found that two thirds of people would spend money on non-tangling headphones, 83% would spend money on more durable chords, and 73% of people find it frustrating to untangle headphones. On average, the majority of people experienced problems with tangled headphones sometimes to more frequently. We will continue to work and complete the requirements for part B of the project.
Video Logs-
October 7- October 21