How Does Makey Makey Work?
The Makey Makey is like a keyboard. It replaces keys with real-world objects that can conduct electricity.
When you connect a conductive object to the Makey Makey and touch it, you complete the circuit, sending a signal to the computer.
Example: If you connect a banana and touch it, it can act as a piano key! 🎹🍌
A conductor is any item that allows electrons to flow through it with little effort. If an item has any conductivity, Makey Makey will detect it. Most metals are great conductors! Pure water is actually an insulator, once water comes in contact with things like salt, humans, etc, it becomes contaminated. Because of this, free ions in water are what make water conductive. Conductivity is changed by humidity and temperatures.
An insulator is any item that does not allow electrons to flow through it. Things like masking tape, hot glue, paper, are insulators that do not allow electrons to flow
Prototyping is the first step to inventing. A prototype is an early or beginning model of an idea (generally an invention.) Inventors prototype ideas to test the concept of their inventions. If a prototype is still buggy or doesn't work right, an inventor will create another version of their idea.
Iteration is the next step of prototyping. An inventor will continue to draft and rework their ideas by making more versions or iterations of a design idea. Once you start inventing, you'll want to make multiple versions of your idea to make sure you have a successful prototype or invention idea!