Report on shop class last time:
Bottom End: learned about the oil system and took inventory of parts
Electrical: fixing and restoring wires; stripped wires for main electrical assembly; sautered new connection on previous year’s bike to fix ignition system
Clutch & Transmission: used parts-cleaner to clean clutch and transmission parts; reorganized parts and took inventory
Top End: dyed the valve seats blue, cut valve seats (lapped with a compound) → help surfaces fit well together by grinding valve into seat (seat is soft and the valve is hard); made sure that push rods were “true”
Fork: organizing parts & taking inventory; understanding structure
Fasteners: cleaned out rear-wheel hub with a tap and yield, measured threads, prepared rear-wheel hub for painting
Wheels: cleaned and polished spokes
Frame: took apart kickstand, sand-blasted, and cleaned; cleaned brake-plates; prepare materials for powder-coating
Discussion:
Chapters 9 & 10 of Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Chapter 9 – Leader: Parker
Motorcycle References:
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Spark Plugs – “mechanic removes the plug and lays it against the engine. . . and watches the gap for a blue spark” (107); troubleshooting the electrical system using scientific method; color of the spark is very important (want a bright blue spark)
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Engine Misfire – how you would know: series of “bangs” and “pops”, may miss entirely
Storyline:
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Inductive and Deductive reasoning → setting foundation for philosophy and content in Chapter 10
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Methodology for troubleshooting motorcycles through use of the scientific method
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“They are using the experiment as part of a program to expand their hierarchy of knowledge of the faculty motorcycle and compare it to the correct hierarchy in their minds.” (108)
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“One learns just as much from failure as they do from success”
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Scientific method with a purpose
Chapter 10 – Leader: Jenny
No direct motorcycle references
Storyline:
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Philosophy about the scientific method and its purpose
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Things that you prove are temporal as you are likely to reveal more information as you learn more
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Epistemology (the theory of knowledge) takes a strong foundation as the driving force in this chapter
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Scientists versus philosophers as philosophers try to explain science
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Scientists maintain an open mind as the hypothesis is always changing → seeking truth (“the truth of yesterday may not be the same as the truth of tomorrow”)
Homework:
None → will continue reading after Spring Break
There will be class next week, but no reading