PHY098

(LOD3, C4):

PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL ASSIGNMENT

ITLE: SOLUTION ON THE SHORTAGE OF CLEAN AND HOT

T
WATER BASED ON APPLICATION OF PHYSICS LAWS IN DAILY
LIFE

Prepared by:

STUDENT’S NAME STUDENT’S ID GROUP

1. AINA ZAHIRAH TAIB 2021449784 S51

2. DALILA DIYANA YUSDI 2021463486 S51

3. FARIS DANIAL SHAMSUL SHAZELI 2021848718 S51

4. NUR FARHANA SABUDDIN 2021610626 S51

5. NUR IMANNINA SAHRIAN 2021469022 S51

Prepared for:

DR SITI KHATIJAH DERAMAN

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE
Acknowledgements 2

1. Problem Identi ication 3

2. Analysis 4

3. Application 5

4. Synthesis / Evaluation 6-7

5. Decision Making 8

References 9-10

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 Problem Solving Skill Assignment

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, we would like to thank The Almighty who eased our path in completing this Problem
Solving Skill Assignment. We have successfully come up with the improvisation and innovation
of a kettle. Besides that, we sincerely like to thank Dr. Siti Khatijah Deraman, as we
acknowledge our lecturer's assistance and encouragement in completing this assignment and
instructing us in the PHY098 course. This assignment cannot be completed without the collective
efforts from our group members, Aina Zahirah Taib, Dalila Diyana Yusdi, Faris Danial Shamsul
Shazeli, Nur Farhana Sabuddin and Nur Imannina Sahrian. This group project that was assigned
to us had a significant impact on us. The effect was extremely beneficial for us in terms of
improving our knowledge within the depths of accounts and how to collaborate among four of us
to produce an excellent result for the assignment.

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 Problem Solving Skill Assignment

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

There were some problems we have taken into consideration before we decided on our
project and ideas. As we all know, water plays a vital role in our everyday life. We need it to
carry out most of our daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, cleansing and drinking. Based on
our discussion, we found out that one of the major problems regarding water is the insufficient
supply of clean water, where this can be an issue when we are in need of clean water supply
immediately. For example, a mother that desperately needs the supply of clean, hot water to
prepare formula milk for her child during a long, tiring car ride. It will be a problem when the
mother is stuck in the middle of the road without having any source of clean, hot water and
forgot to prepare the child’s milk beforehand. There are many other situations where we need the
on-the-go water supply such as when we go for outdoor activities or during emergency events.
Based on these situations, we came up with the portable kettle idea that mainly use the concept
of Ohm’s Law that not only manage to provide its user to clean and hot water but also able to
purify any source of water by using the filtration method and the usage of Electromotive Force
(EMF) until the water is hygienic and safe to drink. The concept is almost similar to the water
filtration method that already exists today such as Coway, but we improvised our project so that
it becomes more efficient and easy to carry anywhere at any time. Thus, by using the physics
concept that we learnt in the PHY098 course, we hope this portable kettle of ours can make
everyone’s daily lives easier to acquire a clean water supply.

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 Problem Solving Skill Assignment
ANALYSIS
Water heating is a heat transfer procedure that raises the temperature of water over its
initial temperature by using an energy source. Hot water is commonly used in the home for
cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. Water also can be purified by the process of
boiling. The process is also known as water heating. Purifying water will remove any sediments
and impurities, as well as destroy any germs, allowing people to drink pure water without the
fear of becoming ill. Water boiling is an excellent method for killing bacteria, viruses, and
parasites in the water. Hence, the electric water heater is a good tool to help supply clean water to
people so they can undergo their routine smoothly.

There are some factors that make an electric water heater a good tool to supply clean and
hot water to users. Firstly, an electric water heater is an application of ohm's law. Based on
Ohm's Law, 𝑉 = 𝐼𝑅, electric current (I) flowing through the copper wires is affected by two
important parameters which are the potential difference (V) and the resistance (R) of the wire.
The collisions between electrons carrying the current create resistance in a circuit. There are
numerous resistors placed in the water heater. The current is inversely proportional to the
resistance. Hence, high resistance limits the amount of current flow through the tool and provides
the required level of heat to the water.

Next, we can see further details on the structure of the water heater. As we refer to the
𝐿
formula 𝑅 = ρ 𝐴 , the relationship of resistance, R, the length of material, L and the
cross-sectional area, 𝐴 can be identified. The length of the wire of the water heater is usually
long. When the value of the length is increasing, the resistance of the material also increases.
Moreover, the cross-sectional area of the water heater is likewise smaller so it can increase the
resistance of the water heater. Thus, high resistance provides a high amount of heat. The water
can be boiled, then eliminated waste in the water.

Other than that, as we analysed, the wall of the water heater body is made up of stainless
steel. Stainless steel has a low specific heat capacity. Hence, it can be heated up in a short period.
In addition, stainless steel is also a good conductor of heat. It is also an alloy so it does not react
chemically with water. Overall, these physics laws and theories applied in the water heater are
proven to provide excellent characteristics to the kettle so it can purify the water and supply hot
water on-the-go.

Figure 1: Water heater

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 Problem Solving Skill Assignment
APPLICATION

In our water purifier, we gathered some information on building new ideas to overcome
the problem, which is adding a water purifier system which has the usage of EMF, portable and
tankless, saves more energy and is using reverse osmosis systems.

One of the suggested applications in water purifiers is the usage of EMF, which is an
exposed heating element in the form of a heating coil or a covered heating element in the form of
a stainless steel heating floor that performs the heating process. The usage of EMF is believed to
be efficient compared to more traditional electric water heaters in most households as it will boil
the water in a shorter time without much heat loss to the environment to produce an ideal
temperature.

Secondly, the water purifier is portable and tankless. Tankless water purifiers take up less
space than traditional tank-style water heaters. It has a compact design and can be used
anywhere. As an example, hikers can use portable and tankless water purifiers to drink clean
water even in the middle of the jungle or forest. It has the potential to be an ideal option to take
up less space than traditional water heaters.

Portable water purifiers save more energy than standard tank-style water heaters. Standby
energy loss is a problem with tank-style water heaters. A burner heats the water, which is then
stored in the tank until it is needed. During its duration in the tank, the thermal energy
diminishes. In other words, whether hot water is utilised or not, it remains in the tank, which
means electricity is wasted. This is especially true if consumers are away from home and the
standard water heater is constantly heating the water in its tank.

The next step is the suggestion to implement reverse osmosis for the water filtration
system. Many of them include seven or more filtering stages, as well as an osmosis mechanism,
which allows them to remove 99 percent of impurities from water, including chlorine, heavy
metals, pesticides, and herbicides. Some reverse osmosis systems also supply the water with
beneficial minerals and nutrients.

Last but not least, the heating element in the water heater is suggested to be made of
nichrome. Because nichrome has a greater melting and boiling point than other metals, it does
not oxidise and burn easily at high temperatures. As a result, even when a great quantity of heat
is produced as a result of the current passing through it, it does not melt. It also has a higher
resistivity and, as a result, a higher resistance. As a result, it will oppose the flow of charges
more, causing heat to develop more quickly.

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 Problem Solving Skill Assignment

SYNTHESIS / EVALUATION

New ideas that are suggested to be applied in the water purifier will be evaluated to
prove that the ideas above can be implemented in our water purifier to produce an efficient and
convenient water heater cum purifier.

To begin with, the application of EMF sourced from a battery, was suggested to be highly
effective to boil water in a shorter time. According to (Water Heater- EMF Portal, n.d.), The
functioning of heating components produces an alternating magnetic field with a fundamental
frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz. Heat outputs of 600 W to 3100 W are commonly employed; a
higher heating output results in a shorter boiling time and a more efficient boiling process since
less power is transferred to the environment. Furthermore, according to (Wirfs & Jacobson,
2016), EMF powered water heaters are indeed up to 85% efficient compared to electric water
heaters, which are at 80% efficiency. To add, boiling water on the stovetop would only be 70%
efficient.

Next, tankless water filters are compact and small compared to standard style tanks. The
size of tankless water filters, have a size of 170mm x 396mm x 520mm as seen in (LG, 2020),
while standard style tanks have large tanks, have sizes up to 9 inches in diameter, 42 inches in
height, (Aqua Kent RO, 2014). Therefore, this ensures that our design will definitely be
minimalist in design, compact, and lighter than standard style tanks, which will allow portability.

Furthermore, tankless water heaters, on the other hand, prevent standby loss because they
only create hot water when it is needed. When a hot water faucet is turned on, cold water enters
the unit through a pipe and is heated by an electric heating element or a gas burner, (Lutz
Plumbing, 2019). This means that no hot water is wasted, saving energy and assisting
households in lowering their energy expenses. Tankless water heaters can be 24%–34% more
energy efficient than typical, tank-style water heaters, (Energy.Gov, n.d.).

In addition, Reverse osmosis systems employ a mechanism that reverses the flow of
water in a natural osmosis process, allowing water to pass from a more concentrated solution to
a more dilute solution over a semi-permeable membrane. Pre and post-filters are frequently used
in conjunction with the reverse osmosis membrane. The pore size of a reverse osmosis filter is
around 0.0001 micron. Reverse osmosis systems are extremely successful in removing protozoa
such as Cryptosporidium, extremely good at removing microorganisms, systems are also quite
successful at removing viruses. This system will remove typical chemical pollutants (metal ions,
aqueous salts) such as sodium, chloride, copper, chromium, and lead; they may also reduce
arsenic, fluoride, radium, sulphate, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, (Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2020). It is important to note that only boiling water without proper
filtration can cause the water to be contaminated with sediments, therefore a reverse osmosis
filtration system is necessary.

Lastly, the incorporation of nichrome as the heating element is needed. This is due to the
fact that nichrome has a higher resistivity than other metals, and has high heat resistance for
temperatures up to 1150 ℃,(ARKLAY., 2017), which makes it an excellent heating element
compared to other metals which mainly function as conductors. High resistivity is crucial for a

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product that functions to produce heat, as conductors with high resistivity will produce higher
resistance that will oppose the flow of charges to produce heat in a shorter time, (Serway &
Vuille, 2016).

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 Problem Solving Skill Assignment

DECISION MAKING
We decided to make new improvements to the kettle based on the information obtained
above, which has both advantages and disadvantages. To begin with, we chose the material of
the heating to be nichrome. This is due to nichrome having higher resistivity. The higher the
resistivity, the more heat that will be produced in a shorter time. Nichrome also is more resistant
to corrosion and oxidation compared to other metals.

Moreover, the regular kettle relies entirely on an electrical source to heat the water
inside. However, the new version of our water heater uses the electromotive force, which is the
energy supplied by a battery, as the main source of power to heat water. This is because, by using
a battery, which is more convenient because it is portable and rechargeable as it can be used
anywhere by users without the need to look for an electrical source to heat the water.

Next, our water heater is multifunctional as it has dual purpose, acting as a water heater
and a water purifier. We came up with this concept to make sure that the water is free from
impurities by heating and purifying the water. This ensures that the users are confident that the
water is safe and clean to drink.

Finally, a normal kettle is large and heavy. Since our water heater uses a tankless water
purifier, we decided to make it light and portable. It features a small design that allows users to
easily bring it wherever they go.

In conclusion, we choose the material of filament to be nichrome, EMF that is sourced

from a battery as the power supply, dual use kettle (water purification and boiling), and a
tankless water purifier.

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 Problem Solving Skill Assignment
References

Aqua Kent RO. (2014). Outdoor Whole House Master Water Filter System FRP942 Sand Filter .
Aqua Kent RO Malaysia. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from
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m-FRP942-Sand-Filter

ARKLAY .S RICHARDS CO., INC. (2017). Heater Wire | Nichrome Wire | Thermocouples .
Arklay S. Richards Co., Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from
https://asrichards.com/heater-wire/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Technical Information on Home Water
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