Molecule

Inspiration

As beginners, we wanted to make a simple application that made a difference to the world. Although our coding experiences are very limited, we have made tremendous effort recently to learn more about programming. This lead us to go to GunnHacks because we wanted to learn more about coding while creating something useful like an application or website. Our inspiration for the application Molecule started in our ninth grade biology classes when we learned about the water cycle. In that class, we pretended to be water molecules and traveled around the world as a water molecule. We found this very educational and felt grateful that we had the opportunity to have such a interactive activity, and wanted to help students not as fortunate as us. We also loved chemistry this year and learned more about water structure and functions, and wanted to combine our knowledge to make an application. We wanted to make an application in order to educate students in a fun way while teaching them about the chemical aspects of chemistry.

What it does

Our application allows students to simulate being a water molecule. As time elapses, students can check back on their application games and view their water molecules in different states and situations. Students can take pictures of water molecules and gain achievements to enhance the educational experience. The pictures are stored in an album that can be viewed later. The said water molecule can shift between several different states and locations, such as changes in state and also may even enter organisms. Students can view the structure of water molecules at a molecular level or view the ordinary levels of the water locations. After a student exists the application and time ellapses, they can view it in a different state later.

How we built it

First we created a prototype using PopApp and planned out our ideas to make the application as easy to use as possible. Next we used Android Studios and used Java and XML to cover the programming portion of the application. We used buttons to navigate in the application and a timer to keep track of the application. We also used an album store pictures. We used photoshop and paint in order to resize and edit and draw pictures to include in the water molecule app. We pushed our code to github so we could all work on it.

Challenges we ran into

Since we had no prior programming experience excepty for some java, coding the application was probably the most difficult aspect. At first, we tried to use Swift for an apple device but we were having issues so we switched to Android Studios the second day of working. Also we had difficulties with XML because we did not learn it before so we had to learn it while coding. However, we turned this around by trying various methods and communicating amongst one another to find the right solutions.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of getting the buttons to work, be in place, and navigate well after spending hours on perfecting it. Finally it works well and we can be proud we have finally made an application. Also we are proud of getting the photo album to work better so that it can record peoples' pictures. We are also proud of the formatting we put on the application to make it look more professional.

What we learned

We learned a lot about application development by learning to use AndriodStudio and XML. It is great that we learned how to code with these in these fun hours of coding and developing. We also learned there is a lot more to application development than coding, as we had to supply the design and art for them as well.

What's next for Molecule

We plan on adding more types of molecules that students can play as in addition to the water molecule. We also plan on adding animation to the water molecule and make it simulate the calculated values and probability of water molecule movement to make it seem more authentic. We also plan on making the picture album and camera work better and more efficiently, and to make the timer more accurate in ratio with real life constraints.

Built With

• java