云底高度探测器特别活动

动机

在偶然之间我看到了一篇关于计算云底高度的文章，其中详细介绍了计算公式与各种气象学概念，包括露点温度、干绝热率、湿绝热率等。我认为这是一项很有研究价值的计算方式，因为它可以帮助我们对天空中的云朵以高度进行分类，从而判断它们的属性，以此预测未来的天气状况。比如，雨层云通常在1000m左右，当通过公式计算后我们便可得知在雨层云控制下一场降水即将拉开序幕。刚好，我在成都魅客学院曾学习过如何用MIT APP Inventor制作安卓应用，这是一次可遇不可求的锻炼我逻辑编程能力以及扩充气象学、数学知识的机会。所以，我首先开发了云底高度计算器这个应用程序（点击下载），并且成功地计算出了当前的云高。然而，我所开发的云底高度计算器并不能根据用户周边的实时天气数据来对此进行计算，所以计算结果并不太精确，由此我想到我可以应用我在魅客学院所学到的关于Arduino的知识来真正制作一个实时探测器。当然，这次我并不想让技术只为我自己服务，而是传授有关气象学、编程知识给更广的受众。因此，我于2022年八月在魅客学院组织了一项特别活动。

 

准备工作

任何活动都需要提前准备，于是在八月初的时候我就已经向魅客学院的余晖老师提出了申请，余老师对我的活动十分感兴趣，并且邀请我提前来到魅客学院对我即将举办的活动展开准备工作。举办一场活动并不容易，我制作了演示文稿向活动的参与者们讲解其中的气象学原理，还对硬件和程序进行了调试，使用了激光切割机进行设备外壳制作。让我印象最深的是程序的逻辑设计。因为气象公式比较复杂，通常包含了多个乘除法，如何安排程序逻辑则成为了重中之重。当然，我也在编写公式代码的时候犯了错，导致计算结果完全偏离实际，但好在将其中的逻辑捋顺后计算结果回归了正常。

活动

令我没想到的是，活动当日竟有是个学生参加，这已经是本次活动的人数上限。得益于前一个月的准备工作，本次活动得以顺利开展，不少学生在制作探测器的过程中对气象学展示出了浓厚的兴趣，并且成功地在我与老师的指导下做出了云底高度探测器，得到了相对准确的云高数据。虽然许多同学才上小学或初中，甚至并不能完全理解复杂的气象学公式与概念，但他们所展示出的耐心与对编程的热爱令我惊讶。比如有一位同学他总是计算出来错误的数据，但他并没有放弃，在我与他的努力下终于发现了其中的编程逻辑问题，并最终得出了正确的结果。

感悟

首先，我要感谢魅客学院的余晖老师对我在活动筹备期间的帮助和支持，没有老师的指导，我无法顺利完成这次活动。通过这次活动，我学到了很多关于气象学、编程、逻辑设计等方面的知识和技能。我深刻地认识到，学习一门新技能并不容易，需要花费大量的时间和精力去掌握。

此次活动对我未来学习的帮助也很大。通过这次活动，我深刻地体会到了理论和实践的差距，对自己的实践能力和动手能力进行了提升。此外，通过对气象学和编程知识的深入学习，我发现了这两个领域的广泛应用，以及未来在这两个领域的学习和研究的巨大潜力。在未来的学习中，我会更加注重实践，尽可能地将理论知识转化为实践能力，同时也会不断探索新知识，不断提高自己的综合素质和技能水平。

此外，这次活动还让我深刻地认识到了传授知识的重要性。通过向其他学生传授气象学和编程知识，我不仅帮助他们掌握了新的技能，还激发了他们对学习的兴趣和热爱。这让我感到非常有成就感，也让我更加坚信，只有通过不断传授和分享知识，我们才能让更多人受益。

Cloud Base Height Detector Creating Activity

Motivation

In a stroke of luck, I stumbled upon an article on how to calculate cloud base height. The article detailed the formula and various meteorological concepts such as dew point temperature, dry adiabatic lapse rate, and moist adiabatic lapse rate. I believe this calculation is of great research value as it can help us classify clouds by height and determine their properties, thereby predicting future weather conditions. For instance, rain clouds are typically at an altitude of around 1000m, and by calculating it through the formula, we can predict that precipitation is about to begin.

Coincidentally, I had learned how to create Android applications with MIT App Inventor at XMaker School in Chengdu. It was a unique opportunity for me to exercise my logic and programming skills while expanding my knowledge of meteorology and mathematics. Thus, I developed an application called "Cloud Base Height Calculator" (click to download) and successfully calculated the current cloud height. However, my cloud base height calculator could not calculate the current height based on real-time weather data from the user's surroundings. Therefore, the results were not very accurate. This led me to think that I could use my knowledge of Arduino, which I learned at XMaker School, to create a real-time detector.

Preparations

Of course, this time, I didn't want the technology to serve only myself. Instead, I wanted to share knowledge of meteorology and programming with a broader audience. Therefore, in August 2022, I organized a special event at XMaker School. Any event requires preparation, so at the beginning of August, I applied to Ms. Yuhui, a teacher at XMaker School, and she was interested in my activity and invited me to come to XMaker School in advance to prepare for the event.

Organizing an event was not easy, but I made a presentation explaining the meteorological principles to the participants, and I also debugged the hardware and program, using a laser cutting machine to make the equipment's casing. What impressed me the most was the logic design of the program. Meteorological formulas are relatively complicated, usually involving multiple multiplication and division operations. Therefore, arranging the program's logic became a top priority. Of course, I made mistakes when writing the formula code, leading to the calculation results deviating significantly from the actual values. But thankfully, after straightening out the logic, the results returned to normal.

Activity

To my surprise, on the day of the event, there were already ten students attending, which was the maximum capacity. Thanks to the previous month's preparation, the event proceeded smoothly. Many students showed a keen interest in meteorology during the process of making the detector and successfully made a cloud base height detector with relatively accurate data under my and the teacher's guidance. Although many students were in elementary or middle school and could not fully understand the complex meteorological formulas and concepts, their patience and love for programming surprised me. For instance, there was a student who always calculated the wrong data, but he did not give up. With our joint efforts, he eventually discovered the programming logic problem and finally obtained the correct results.

Reflections

I would like to thank Ms. Yuhui, a teacher at XMaker School, for her help and support during the event preparation period. Without her guidance, I would not have been able to complete the event smoothly. Through this event, I learned a lot about meteorology, programming, and logic design, and so did the participants. I hope that more people can learn about meteorology and programming through this kind of activity and develop their own interests and strengths in the process.

In conclusion, my experience at XMaker School has been life-changing. Not only did I learn how to use MIT App Inventor to develop Android applications, but I also gained valuable knowledge in meteorology, mathematics, and Arduino programming. Through the development of the cloud base height calculator and the organization of the special event, I was able to apply the skills and knowledge that I learned in a real-world setting.

Moreover, the experience has taught me that technology can be used to address real-world problems, and that knowledge can be shared to benefit others. The enthusiasm and passion displayed by the students who participated in the event have shown me that age is just a number, and that anyone can learn and achieve great things if they put their minds to it.

I am grateful to XMaker School for providing me with this opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills, and I look forward to continuing my journey of discovery and innovation with them. I hope that my experience can serve as an inspiration to others, and that more people will be encouraged to explore the world of technology and make a positive impact on society.