Dr. Dragon Issue #10

DR. DRAGON HSMSE’S MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE

WHAT’S INSIDE

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND GAME THEORY EVAPORATION ENGINES COMPLEX TOWERS AND MUCH MORE!

winter THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS

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Dear Readers, Welcome to our Winter 2017 issue! This is our tenth magazine and it's unbelievable to see how much has changed. Over the past 5 years, all our members have continued to enhance their skills and cultivate their passionate learning of the STEM fields through writing. It was wonderful to see my team work so vigorously to bring this magazine to life.

I would like to give much thanks to our cherished advisor, Mr. Choi, who kept us steady and strong throughout our journey, and our sponsors, without whom this magazine could not have been published. I hope you enjoy reading our articles.

Afsana Rahman, President

STAFF PRESIDENT

DESIGNER IN CHIEF

VICE-PRESIDENT

DESIGNER

TREASURER

EDITORS IN CHIEF

AFSANA RAHMAN CARIN QUEENER JUSTIN SINANAN

SECRETARY

MAISY HOFFMAN

FACULTY ADVISOR RONALD CHOI 1

FATEMA BEGUM

SHUBHASHISH ARGHA JEENERA HOSSAIN HAMIDA CHUMPA

EDITORS

JADA HEREDIA MIA AKHTER MAISY HOFFMAN

WRITERS

MIA AKHTER EANA BACCHIOCCHI ANTHONY CHOI JADA HEREDIA MAISY HOFFMAN MIN YI LIN AFSANA RAHMAN ALEX SOLIVAN JASPER STEDMAN ROBBIE TAYLOR

SPECIAL THANKS HSMSE PTA

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Chemicals in our food?

EANA BACCHIOCCHI

THE STRENGTH OF BRIDGES JADA HEREDIA

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND MAISY HOFFMAN

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11

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GLOBAL WATER CRISIS AFSANA RAHMAN

GAME theory

ROBBIE TAYLOR

Google’s PIXEL PHONE

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REVOLVING TOWERs

CONTROL OF CELLPHONES

EVAPORATION ENGINE

ANTHONY CHOI

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kakuro Puzzles

MIN YI LIN

MIA AKHTER

JASPER STEDMAN

21ADS 2

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Chemicals in our food?

I should hope not.

On September 14th, German company Bayer bought America’s Monsanto in a $66 billion deal that ultimately created a powerhouse in the agriculture and pharmaceutical industries. However, this prompted immediate reactions against the merger with environmental and economic reasons in mind.

An environmental concern this merger brings to the table is the issue of genetically modified organisms in our food. Monsanto is notoriously known for its support of GMOs and biotechnology in agriculture. They’re leaders in producing genetically modified seeds and pesticides. The company was the first to commercialize the genetically modified soybean and cotton varieties, both of which are huge monocultures in the U.S. Monsanto and Bayer spent millions to prevent GMO labeling of their products. While these corporations insist that the merger “is needed to meet a rising food demand,” opponents of the merger view it as a way to promote the growth of the agrochemical industry, which clashes with organic food movements, sustainable food systems, and local farming initiatives. The rise of GMOs in our food brings numerous health concerns including organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging and fertility loss according to American Academy of Environmental Medicine.

It goes to the simple question of why we should have something chemically engineered in our food? Monsanto-Bayer’s commitment to GMO crops and pesticides also raises further environmental ecosystem questions. The excess chemicals, namely nitrogen used in pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides harm the soil as well as contaminate water resources, reduce biodiversity, and are unsustainable.

An economic concern over this merger is the presence of monopolies. Only six corporations dominate the global seed and pesticide markets, with Monsanto-Bayer now controlling 34% of global pesticides and 23% of global herbicides. In the Gilded Age of the late 19th century, the rise of economically dangerous monopolies caused President Roosevelt to pass numerous laws against them. Now in 2016, this problem once again requires intervention, to stop Bayer-Monsanto from controlling around a sixth of the agriculture industry. This monopoly would be able to determine the prices of seeds, insecticides, and herbicides, leaving farmers at mercy to high prices with no other option.

Furthermore, the model of agriculture Monsanto-Bayer presents is one filled with genetically modified seeds that are prone to superweeds and pestilent bugs. This makes the growth of the seeds reliant on the pesticides and insecticide. This vicious cycle leaves farmers at the hand of two corporations that are profiting millions off of the farmer’s dependence on their two counterpart products.

The world of agriculture has faced ongoing changes and this merger just adds to the long list of them. It encaptures significant problems with the global food industry and while it will not affect people’s daily lives, this corporate takeover is momentous. The merger compels a version of agriculture based on biotechnology and chemicals to become the “new thing to look for” in the industry, despite protests and opposition.

- Eana Bacchiocchi “7 Other Additives in Your Food.” CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2017.

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Indestructible Bridges: Fact or Fiction?

Architects throughout the ages have built bridges meant to last eternity, but few have stood the test of time. Now the next step in bridge-building may have been discovered in the University of Warwick, where the idea of an indestructible bridge is no longer sheer fantasy.

A bridge is a load-bearing structure which balances two types of forces: compression and tension. Compression is a force which pushes inward from the outside of a surface whereas tensile forces push outward from the inside, displacing the weight on the bridge. However, these forces are not stagnant. The magnitude of a compressive stress changes when external forces, such as gravity, act on the structure. These external forces produce impact stresses within the materials from which the structure is made, altering its internal tensile stresses. A combination of compressive and tensile stresses create bending stresses on the structure, which can be major points of weakness.

For a bridge to be safe, it must be able to endure a changing environment. Wind can cause a twisting force called torsion which turns a bridge’s ends in opposite directions. Likewise, when traffic travels over a bridge, the live weight of the bridge changes, altering compressive forces. Furthermore, vibrations caused by powerful machinery or slight oscillations in a bridge pose additional dangers. The frequency at which an object vibrates after being disturbed is its resonant frequency. If an object vibrates at its resonant frequency, its structural integrity becomes compromised, as shown in the 1940 Tacoma bridge collapse in Washington. A bridge must be able to maintain its shape and structure despite variating external forces.

Today, many bridges remain unsafe. One in nine of all bridges in the U.S. was considered “structurally deficient” by the Federal Highway Commission in 2012, and the average age of an American bridge is 42 years.

In 2013, over 29% of bridges no longer met functional standards or were structurally obsolete The solution to these issues may very well lay in research done by the University of Warwick, a research university in England. Wanda Lewis, an Emeritus Professor at the University of Warwick’s School of Engineering, spent a quarter of a century studying natural suspensions, such as how leaves withstand winds, the curves of a shell and other similar stress patterns. She developed a mathematical model that implements a natural design to minimize points of weakness. Prof.

Emerit. Lewis used the technique of form-finding to design a rigid structure with a strong natural form and no bending stresses. In order to find this durable shape, a suspended piece of fabric is allowed to relax into its natural, minimum energy form, and then is frozen and inverted to find its coordinates. These shapes are then mimicked in bridges to produce an optimal arch with minimal bending stresses. This makes the bridge more resistant to external factors like wind, allowing it to remain structurally sound for longer. Perhaps this method, if implemented in the future, will finally yield something that will stand firmly throughout the ages: an indestructible bridge.

- Jada Heredia Classroom, Phsyics. “Natural Frequency.” Natural Frequency. Physics Classroom, n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2017.

Team, How It Works. “How Can Resonance Collapse Bridges?” How It Works Magazine. Imagine Publishing, 26 Oct. 2016. Web. 03 Jan. 2017.

Mark Prigg For. “The Indestructible Bridge: Engineers Design Daily Mail Online. 13 July 2016. Web. 03. Jan

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To Infinity and Beyond

Depicted by a sideways eight, infinity is seen as an unreachable, just-a-little-further idea, not so much a number but a concept.

Infinity is usually thought of as a large number beyond counting. Depicted by a sideways eight, infinity is seen as an unreachable, just-a-little-further idea, not so much a number but a concept. However, infinity is actually so much more than that. In fact, there are all different kinds of infinity, with different sizes, no matter how counter-intuitive that may seem.

The most basic and smallest infinity is the set of natural numbers. Starting at zero, we count on incrementally. It makes sense, if we can count on and on in cardinal numbers {0, 1, 2, 3…}, to call this infinity a ‘countable’ infinity. Infinity is not a number, it is a concept. However, an infinite cardinal number is aleph null (N0) which represents the set of every whole number {ℕ}. Aleph null, therefore, is a countable infinite number. Aleph null is the infinity we heard about when younger:

it represents the sense of forever adding one to itself to eventually reach the unreachable.

Aleph null, being a number, can also be treated like a real number. As mathematician Vi Hart describes, “aleph null is a number, and you can do number-y things to it, but it is not going to react to those number-y things the way a… ‘real number’ would.” For example, aleph null plus one is still equal to aleph null. Similarly, aleph null squared is still aleph null. The numbers, no matter how they increase, just add onto one another at the end, a set of endless numbers with greater numbers adding and adding on, yet aleph null remains the same size.

So how can anything be larger than aleph null? If it is a number that cannot be added to, how is anything greater than it? Well, aleph null is only as large as the infinite set of natural numbers. There are other numbers in between each of the cardinals in aleph null. There is the infinite set of real numbers. This is where infin-

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ity becomes different. The set of real numbers is an uncountable infinity, far estranged from the countable aleph null. There are an infinite number of reals just between one and two, and beyond that an even greater number.

To prove the idea of a greater infinity, imagine a box of space.

There are the whole number coordinates, (0, 0, 0) and (5, 3, 9) defining the dimensions. There are only so many of these coordinates. For this box specifically, there are only 135 whole number coordinates. However, the real number coordinates would be so many that the box would end up filled with points and no room for anything else. There are an infinite number of real coordinates. Even if there were to be an infinite box, one the size of the ever-expanding universe, there would still be so few whole number coordinates when compared to the reals that not even 1 : (N0) would be the ratio.

German mathematician Georg Cantor, known mainly for his works in set theory, created a way to prove the infinity of reals is greater than the infinity of naturals. It is most commonly known as Cantor’s Diagonal Proof. Begin with an infinite list of real numbers like the following: .24386180463755873396463… .10112237859643200015386… .14159265358979323846264… .28318530717958647692528… .76533957391080238440129… .64388099223297586400863… .57431393400020037470754…

We can now use these numbers to create an entirely new number. A number that will not be anywhere on this list. If we take the digit corresponding to which place in the list of reals it is, and add one to it, we will create a new number because each number will have at least one digit that is of a different value, like the following:

.24386180463755873396463… .10112237859643200015386… .14159265358979323846264… .28318530717958647692528… .76533957391080238440129… .64388099223297586400863… .57431393400020037470754…

Our new number begins as .3122410…, and if we continue on in this way, we will have created a number that is not on the list of reals. Yet it is a real number. So what does this prove? Using this theorem, Cantor has declared {ℝ} > (N0), because while aleph null includes every whole number, the set of reals is not even large enough to fit all the real numbers. Cantor’s Diagonal Proof also allows us to question just how many reals there are. We could create an entirely separate list of real numbers that are not even on the list of reals, which is contradictory, but definitely plausible.

Beyond this, we find more infinities. There are the hyperreals, which include infinitesimals, numbers so infinitely close together that they are equal, in the same way that 1 and .9999999… are equal. We also find the infinity of calculus, graphs approaching an infinite limit.

This infinity also relates greatly to the infinity of fractals, a shape or curve with an infinite number of sides, but remaining almost the exact same size at each iteration.

There are even infinities beyond this, creating the question: are there an infinite number of infinities? Is there an ultimate infinity? Though most mathematicians disagree with the concept of an ‘absolute infinity,’ this idea is sometimes represented by a ‘big omega,’ Ω.

We, as humans, cannot even begin to imagine how infinite ‘big omega’ really is.

It is implausible to us, we could never conceive of a number or set like this. Infinity is something we cannot truly understand, and try as we might, humanity has yet to comprehend just how great this idea really is. However, we can study infinity and create new ideas and concepts regarding it to perhaps better our understanding of mathematics, science, and the world.

- Maisy Hoffman Weisstein, Eric W. “Cardinal Numbers.” From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. <http://mathworld. wolfram.com/CardinalNumber.html/> “How Many Kinds of Infinity Are There?” Vi Hart. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

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The STRUGGLE FOR WATER

Water is the foundation and sustenance of life. Yet it is scarce.

According to the United Nations, 783 million people do not have clean water and almost 2.5 billion lack adequate sanitation. Every ninety seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. Scientists are looking into implementing innovation and engineering to tackle such a crisis and promote change.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has proposed two main causes to the Global Water Crisis: economic and physical scarcity. Economical scarcity means that in regions, clean water resources do exist but they are unaffordable, either due to cost or the means of attaining it (e.g Central Africa). Physical scarcity means regions have little to no clean water resources. Examples of such regions include central Australia and North Africa.

To provide adequate, sanitized water in economically water scarce regions, there can be an implementation of effective water distribution systems. One way to do this is to apply the method of rainwater harvesting. An example of such an inexpensive system is rooftop harvesting. In this process, the roof becomes the catchments (storage of water) and the rainwater is collected from the roof of the house. The rainwater from the rooftops are carried down through water pipes or drains and is then filtered and stored in a tank.

In regions such as Africa, this can relieve the burden of women and children walking kilometers everyday to collect water.

Regions with physical scarcity like Australia cannot rely solely on rainwater harvesting because precipitation is low. The construction of water recycling plants can be a potential solution. To begin the water recycling process, sewage water is passed through mechanical bar screens to remove large solids. Wastewater then enters a grit chamber, where small particles such as sand

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and eggshells are removed from the water. Then, other biological processes are used to remove the remaining contaminants. Such processes include bacterial microorganisms to feed on contaminants, disinfection, and chlorination of water to destroy pathogenic organisms in the water. Although the current potential solutions are simple and conventional, if implemented correctly, the inventions are competent and can change thousands of lives for the better. Moreover, innovations such as powered water purification systems have been proposed to further end the water crisis.

There has also been development in solar powered water purification systems. After witnessing children in India drinking from a stagnant pool of water, 14 year old Deepika Kurup from Nashua, New Hampshire was inspired to help “find a solution to the global water crisis.” She came up with a system that could purify water containing harmful bacteria in a cost efficient manner. The process involves exposing titanium oxide and zinc oxide to sunlight, which initiates a chemical reaction that produces hydroxyl radicals. These compounds can kill harmful bacteria found in contaminated water.

Many mainstream water purification systems involve exposing bacteria to UV radiation. Unfortunately, this requires much electricity, and in underdeveloped and remote areas, is impractical to use. Her system not only destroys bacteria and pathogens found in the water, it is also cheap, non-toxic, and sustainable for the environment.

As Vandana Shivma, an environmental activist stated, “Although two thirds of our planet is water, we face an acute water shortage. The water crisis is the most pervasive, most severe, and most invisible dimension of the ecological devastation of the earth.” To ignore the crisis now, and to not take it seriously, will forge more fatalities in the future. If solutions are to be proposed, much support should be garnered to have them implemented as soon as possible.

- Afsana Rahman ”Deepika Kurup.” Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

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Game Theory

‘When I think I know what you are going to do, then I will know what I will do.”

In the 1700s, during the Enlightenment period in Europe, teaching science and mathematics centered on reason, outside of government or religious control. During this time, young scholars began to put their new skills and knowledge to quantifying the natural world. Some of these early studies would evolve into concepts we now call gravity, the periodic table of the elements, statistics and probability, and of course, game theory.

The “game” in Game Theory does not mean “Rocket League” or “Team Fortress 2”. In fact, Game Theory is not about computer games at all, but rather is the broader context of any scenario where independent players all follow the same rules and make choices that have consequences for all players.

“Game Theory” is the method of looking at problems and considering potential solutions based on two different points of view.

The first is from a mathematical perspective; the second is from understanding human nature.

Both points of view are given equal weight, and they are used simultaneously. There are two assumptions of Game Theory: the first is that the players are rational, the second is that most people will act in a way that benefits themselves most. You probably already know the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” where two prisoners are held and questioned separately. If neither talk, neither will be rewarded and neither punished. But, if one prisoner talks, that prisoner will be rewarded and the other prisoner punished. If both prisoners talk, then both will be punished. Game Theory is

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trying to figure out what the other person will do.

Once you have made your decision about what you think they will do, then you decide what you will do.

The first written studies of Game Theory were done in the 1700s on two person card games.

Further studies have been done on Chess, Go, the stock market, health care reform, and any other problem you might want to consider - even rock-paper-scissors. Game Theory boils down to there always being a variety of choices and responses to any scenario, but every move is independent of the previous move, and each successive move requires a decision from a variety of different choices. For example, when the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, was trying to figure out the best system of taxation, he did an analysis of the ways the states might be expected to react under different tax systems. The national government needed money, the people knew that, but being typical citizens and protective of their money, they did not really want to pay taxes. So how did he develop a system that collected sufficient taxes but did not cause dissent? Through Game Theory.

In the 1519 invasion of Mexico by conquistador Hernán Cortés, the Spanish landed about 500 men while the Aztec army consisted of about 300,000 men. The Spanish soldiers were very afraid of the Aztecs, and Cortés was worried that his troops would run away to their ships and sail away if the Aztecs attacked. To counter that fear, Cortés did something that became very famous: he burned his ships. Without ships, the Spanish soldiers would have to fight as hard as they could because there was no escape. Burning the ships also had a very discouraging effect on the Aztecs, who reasoned that an invader who was so confident to intentionally remove any possibility of retreat, must think there is no way he is going to

lose. The result was that the Aztecs retreated and the Spanish won. Again, this was Game Theory and its consequences.

Businesses, organizations, and even governments use Game Theory as they try to figure out risks and rewards of making different decisions.

The Pentagon’s “Future Markets Applied to Prediction” was an attempt to use Game Theory as one part of their strategy for the War on Terror.

The concept began at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), and was based on the idea that collective human analytical knowledge was greater than any computer model could be.

A trading market was defined that would allow users to predict terrorist activities, and bet on them happening. All of the data that participants used, such as world maps, graphs, news sources, local knowledge, etc., was tracked, and the users would place bets on when and where the next terrorist act would happen.

When there was enough information to indicate that a terrorist act was about to happen, the Pentagon would deploy military forces in readiness. Whether it would have been effective or not never got tested, because some senators objected, calling it the “Terrorism Futures Market”, resulting in its cancellation in 2003. This project was incredibly innovative for a government bureaucracy to undertake. The actual winnings, in case any bets turned out being right, would have amounted to $1 or $2 to to the winning player(s).

American Mathematician John Nash, was one of the most famous game theorists. He inspired the movie “A Beautiful Mind” and developed a concept known as the Nash Equilibrium. The idea of the Nash Equilibrium is essentially this: You cannot predict the result of all the choices of many players if you look at all those decisions independently. Instead, you have to look at what each player would do, by taking into account the decision making of all the other players. This has been used to analyze hostile situations, how runs on banks happen, currency trading, traffic flow patterns, and even penalty kicks in football.

Example of a Nash Diagram for traffic flow patterns where the lines are time and x = number of cars.

I spoke recently with well known strategic economist, Dr. Horace Brock, who explained to me that a game is not over until the third component of Game Theory comes into play. He said that not only must you analyze your competitor mathematically, and not only must you analyze them within human behavior, but the third component is that a game will be concluded only when there is symmetry to the competitors. Think about a pie, and two competitors who want it. In Game Theory the pie would never automatically be divided up 50:50. A game is played, with each player using mathematical analysis and human insight, until a balance, (or “equilibria”) is achieved. The pie might end up being divided between the players at 60:40, or 90:10, or any other ratio, but that ratio has been arrived at by the “utility” of the players, their best ability.

Whether a game is simple or complex, Game Theory is a tool to help figure out rational choices by narrowing down the options and guide strategies. Even by studying all sorts of mathematical models created by computers that can calculate at phenomenal rates, human nature must be accounted for. There will always be conflict; we can hope for cooperation, but there is never only one “best” answer to any problem. That is why Game Theory is only theory.

- Robbie Taylor “Rapoport, Anatol, “Two-Person Game Theory”, Dover Books on Mathematics, Mineola, NY, January 20, 1999.

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Google’s Pixel Phone When it comes to smartphones, we always think about iPhone or Samsung phones, the highest rated smartphones in this generation. A few years ago, when Google produced the Nexus models, they gained little popularity compared to other smartphones. Now, Google has created the Pixel phone, which has been viewed in rating similar to the iPhone and Samsung phones.

What makes the Pixel phone so popular? Pixel features a high quality smartphone camera, a built in Google Assistant, and is cheaper than the iPhone 7.

Google is the first smartphone with a built in Google Assistant. Similar to the iPhone’s Siri, you can communicate with a chat-like interface and request basic commands such as checking the weather or calling someone. After every interaction, there are suggested follow up queries you can tap on to keep the conversation going. Using the Google Assistant, you can get answers to your questions easily, you can manage your everyday tasks, and be entertained as well.

Since Pixels are new, there are only 2 sizes and 3 colors available. The Pixel has a 5” display and Pixel XL has a 5.5” display. Both models are available in “very silver”, “really blue”, and “quite black.” It comes in 32GB and 128GB. The cost for a Pixel phone is $649.00, and Pixel XL is priced at $769.00. Unlike iPhone or Samsung, Pixel’s home button is on the screen. However, it does have a fingerprint sensor built in. The power button and volume button are on the left side edge.

Unlike the iPhone 7, there is a headphone jack at the top edge and the charging jack is at the bottom edge.

The Pixel charges exceptionally fast in comparison to

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other smartphones; with the USB-C charger, it gives up to 7 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes.

Compared to iPhone 7, which has 7MP front camera, Google’s Pixel has multiple superior features, such as its 8 MP front camera. Pixel has a larger battery than iPhone 7, and the Pixel will give 26 hours of talk time and 13 hours of internet use and video playback. The iPhone 7 gives 14 hours of talk time, 12 hours of internet use, and 13 hours of video playback. In addition, the Pixel has twice the RAM as iPhone 7, so it should be well equipped with software applications. Similar to the iPhone 7, the Pixel phone does not have microSD, unlike many androids. However, both do have fingerprint sensors. Both the iPhone 7 and the Pixel are equipped with online pay, as the Pixel has Android Pay, and the iPhone 7 has Apple Pay. Both also have a virtual assistant set up- Google Assistant and Siri.

Although Pixel is making great accomplishments for a start, critics say that it still has a long way to go to match up with iPhones or Samsung phones. For example, unlike the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S7, Google Pixel is not dunkable- meaning it is not waterproof or water resistant. But considering the fact that this is the first actual “phone by Google,” it has accomplished great goals, created new ideas, and has caught everyone’s attention.

- Mia Akhter Shankland, Stephen. “Pixel and Pixel XL Unveiled: (hands-on).” CNET. CBS Interactive, 04 Oct. 2016. Web.

Towers of complexity For most people, the first thing that comes to mind with the word ‘skyscraper’ is a massive, tall-standing building, like those in New York. However, not many people think about skyscrapers that can move. Such is the vision for a company called Dynamic Architecture, which revolutionizes the entire concept of a skyscraper.

Architect David Fisher proposed a building where each floor is stacked on a structure, allowing every floor to rotate freely. Each floor has a maximum rotating speed of 20 ft/min and can be individually controlled. It offers an ever-changing view from the window and an amazing sight to see from outside the building.

This 1.2 billion dollar tower also has serious advantages when it comes to construction.

Fisher claims that 90% of the building can be done off-site, the exclusion being the core, which must be built on the site. This building will only take 22 months to build, at a pace 30% quicker than conventional skyscrapers. The

floors can be made in a factory so the work is safer and requires a smaller workforce to complete the building.

A typical 80-story building requires 2,000 workers while this building will require a mere 90 workers.

The core of the building can deliver all of the needs of the home. For example, water can be distributed, to each floor, using the core of the building. It is also very eco-friendly and can be powered solely by wind turbines and solar panels, all located on-site. Potentially, thousands of wind turbines can be attached to the building, generating around 1.2 million kilowatt hours of energy. The construction itself will also result in less pollution to the environment.

Target cities of this building include New York, Dubai, Paris, and London.

No plans for construction have been made as of yet. However, with these revolutionary advancements in architecture, the possibilities are endless.

- Anthony Choi Administrator. “Dynamic Target Cities.” Dynamic Target Cities. N.p., n.d.

Web. 04 Jan. 2017.

“Da Vinci Tower, Dubai.” Da Vinci Tower, Dubai - SkyscraperPage.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. ”Dynamic Architecture.” Dynamic Architecture. N.p., n.d. Web. Jan. 2017.

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the Control of Cellphones Whether you are walking down the street, waiting for your subway, or relaxing in a park, you are bound to see people using their cell phones. In 1947, AT&T developed the first model of mobile telecommunication, known as “Mobile Telephone Service” (MTS). Cell phones evolved tremendously over the decades and became an essential part of our lives. But is the immense usage of cellphones necessary?

negative effects on a cell phone user’s stress levels.

The University of Gothenburg, Sweden, examined the link between frequent usages of cell phones in young adults between ages 20-24. Through a questionnaire, researchers found high mobile phone use could be linked to stress and sleep disturbances for women, as well as sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression in men.

In 2010, there were 62.6 million mobile phone users in the U.S. However, the popularity of cellular devices grew rapidly, reaching 207.2 million in 2016. Latest studies show that the average American checks social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, at an astounding rate of 17 times a day. These data, however, are considered relatively low compared to usage in other countries such as Thailand, Argentina, Malaysia, Qatar, Mexico, and South Africa, where cellphone users checked these social media sites at least 40 times a day. Further research also shows that an average American will spend around 4.7 hours a day checking social media. Considering that an average American is awake for around 15 hours, this means 1/3 of their day is being spent on their phones.

On top of noticeable mental health problems, high cell phone use also comes hand in hand with increased risk of germs and bacteria. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, conducted an experiment on how contaminated phones are. They sampled 390 pairs of cellphones and hands to measure bacteria levels, and the results concluded that 92% of cell phones and 82% of hands contained high levels of bacteria, and 16% contained E.Coli fecal matter that could easily be spread by cell phone from one person to another. A cell phone can contain more disease-prone germs than those detected on a toilet seat after one day of use, so be careful the next time you touch them.

So why does it matter? Cell Phones are essential to our lives, and about 9 out of 10 American adults owns a cell phone. Almost every person seems to have a grasp of these cellular devices at all times. They allow access to functions which assist us in everyday life, from web browsing and online maps, to gaming apps.

But as it turns out, your cell phone usage may not be pleasing to everyone around you. According to a recent survey, 82% of adults say that the use of cellphones during social gatherings generally hurts the conversation, and only 33% of adults (in a different study) stated cell phone usage helps contribute to the conversation.

Two studies conducted at the University of Essex also supported the theory presented above. In the experiment, strangers held conversations with one another, with and without cell phones. The experiment concluded that those holding their cellphones were perceived as less positive, with a lack of trust and closeness. So the next time you turn to check your social media notifications, consider whether or not it is appropriate to do so under the current circumstances. Not only can cell phones disturb others around you, the usage of these cellular devices can also harm their owner. Constant ringing, vibrating, alerts, and reminders can have

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Digital eye strain or eye strain caused by cell phones is another common but a serious issue. With the many hours people spend time using electronic devices on a day to day basis, the high-energy light emitted by the screen can cause serious damage to your vision. With the decreasing screen size on mobile devices, we tend to squint or strain our eyes while consuming information on our phones. This, alongside consecutive hours of use, can be the direct cause of digital eye strain. The diagnosis can cause cellphone users to have symptoms such as irritated eyes, fatigue, eyestrain, blurry vision, and problems focusing, possibly leading to loss of vision.

Constant device checking also requires bending the neck and back muscles. Nobody has a perfect posture when responding to a text message. 2-4 hours a day with our necks bent can cause serious issues, namely neck and shoulder pain along with the loss of posture, which can grow into a major problem if not fixed.

- Min Yi Lin Rainie, Lee, and Kathryn Zickuhr. “Americans’ Views on Mobile Etiquette.” Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. N.p., 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

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EVAPORATION ENGINES Modern humans consume more energy than any other animal on the planet. We have a huge population, and each of us consumes a huge amount of energy with our technology. Unfortunately, we have met this energy demand with nonrenewable resources such as coal and oil, which harm our environment and may soon start to run out. We are now looking for renewable resources that can give us energy without negatively impacting the environment; some resources that may provide energy include solar or wind power. A recent invention has tapped into a potent energy source which has virtually never been explored before: the evaporation of water. In June, scientists from Columbia University led

by Ozgur Sahin released a breakthrough technology that harnesses the power of evaporation. These two devices are an engine that produces electricity and a turbine-like tube that powers a small car.

These two devices are both based on the same type of technology: Materials called hygroscopy-driven artificial muscles, or HYDRAs. HYDRAs are thin plastic strips with spores from a common bacteria applied to each side. The spores have a unique property; they soak up and release evaporated water, causing them to expand and contract. When the spores are applied to either side of the plastic strips, this expansion curls the strips.

This motion can be repeated millions of times before the HYDRAs will begin to deteriorate.

The first engine made with HYDRAs is called the “Evaporation Engine.” The Evaporation Engine consists of a pool of room temperature water with HYDRAS connected to shutters above it. As the water slowly evaporates, it passes through the HYDRAs, which in turn expand and contract as they absorb the water vapor. When the HYDRAs expand, they open the shutters, releasing humid air. When moisture is not present in the air, the HYDRAs contract, closing the shutters, and starting the process over again. The HYDRAs are attached to a string that connects to a small generator, producing enough electricity to continuously power an LED. The second mechanism that Sahin built utilising the HYDRA technology is the “Moisture Mill”. It is much simpler than the Evaporation Engine in its design, but is equally fascinating. The body of the moisture mill is a hollow, half-cylinder, with paper lining its walls. The body has an axle in its center, which has HYDRAs at-

tached to it radially. The paper inside the body is moistened, and as the water in it evaporates, it makes the inside of the body humid. The HYDRAs that are inside the body contract, changing the center of mass of the axle. This causes the axle to turn, moving the expanded HYDRAs into the body where they can contract and moving the contracted HYDRAs outside where they can expand. The axle is connected to wheels underneath the body which move the entire contraption forward.

This marvel of engineering is still in the very early stages of development.

In fact, Sahin has stated that on average, each pull of the Evaporation Engine only produces 50 milliwatts, an amount that is not at all useful. Additionally, the Moisture Mill barely creeps forward, and needs to be watered frequently. Though not yet useful, the future of this technology still looks bright. HYDRAs bypass many major problems that modern renewable energy sources possess. Evaporation provides constant and consistent power, unlike wind, hydro, and solar power, and does not have to be done outdoors. Compared to these other energy sources, HYDRAs also require little maintenance. Other sources of renewable energy easily break down if not maintained constantly. Furthermore, it avoids the huge problem of cost. Most of the renewable resources that we currently use require large, expensive structures be harnessed. In comparison, the evaporation engine, even with HYDRAs, costs less than $5 to create. If we find out a way to artificially produce the effects of the spores which we can mass produce, the cost will be even lower.

Granted, the evaporation engine is not very efficient, but with further development this could become one of our foremost options for fulfilling our thirst for energy sustainably and safely.

- Jasper Stedman Herkewitz, William. Here Is the World’s First Engine Driven by Nothing But Evaporation.N.p., 16 June 2015.

Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

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KAKURO Puzzles

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Kakuro puzzles are like a cross between a crossword and a Sudoku puzzle.

Instead of letters, each block contains the digits 1 through 9. The same digit will never repeat within a word. If you add the digits in a word, the sum will be the number shown in the clue. Clues are shown on the left and right sides of “across” words, and on the top and bottom sides of “down” words.

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Happiness is a midday coffee.

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ISSUE #10

Happy 10th Dr. Dragon!

From your founding in 2011, to your first issue in the Spring of 2012, to your 10th issue in Winter 2017, you’ve grown so much, but always remained beautiful.

About Dr. Dragon Dr. Dragon is our school’s student produced magazine that focuses on math, science, and engineering. The mission of this magazine is to give HSMSE students the opportunity to take the school's core subjects and explore subtopics that particularly interest them. Students on the magazine staff research and write about subjects of their choice. They are also involved with the production of the magazine, and learn about everything from design to fundraising and budgeting.

If you are an HSMSE student and want to contribute your thoughts, please talk to our officers or our faculty advisor, Mr. Choi.

Contact information: Dr. Dragon email: hsmsedrdragon@gmail.com Mr. Choi: RChoi@hsmse.org Also, you can read our previous magazines, and check the answers to crossword puzzles and Sudoku puzzles by visiting our website: sites.Google.com/site/hsmsedrdragon/

Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Dragon All rights reserved. Published by Dr. Dragon No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission by the publisher.

Crystal Bonds, Principal