Robot Art Show
The Process
The goal of this unit was to introduce us to various electrical components and programming. We started by learning about the basics of electricity and circuits by taking notes, reading articles, and doing experiments. We were then introduced to some basic electrical components like batteries, LED's, and motors by creating various circuits and testing them. After gaining a basic knowledge of how to use basic electrical components, we were slowly introduced to coding by creating circuits and testing some pre-made code. After creating a circuit, we studied to code to see what each line's role in the program. At the end of all of out experiments, we worked on our final project. The final project was to create a circuit that robots could enjoy as well as humans to prepare for the upcoming robot invasion.
For our final project, me and my partner decided to create a physical version of a mobile game called Talking Ben. It is very similar to a magic 8 ball that that gives a random phrase after shaking it. Our project included phrases that Talking Ben would use after pressing a button on the board. We used code that we learned from our previous projects to create a program that could run our idea. Our final project used an LCD Display to show to phrases that we used and a buzzer to play certain frequencies to mimic the sounds of the game. I included the document that we used to write the code on the side and pictures of the circuit and its diagram below.
One of the labs that we did was called the electromagnet experiment. For this experiment, we learned about electromagnets and their electric fields. We also created our own magnets by using a nail as our core, and wrapping it with conductive wire. When the conductive wire is attached to a battery, the electricity is sent through the wire which travels down the core and magnetizes it. Each group created a hypothesis about what would effect the magnet's strength and ran tests to prove or disprove their claim. Our group thought that a longer core in the magnet would increase the magnet's strength and ran tests by changing the core length. We found that our hypothesis is incorrect and that the length of the core doesn't affect strength but could affect another component that changed the magnet's strength. I included my lab writeup that has more details on our groups lab and out findings on the side.
Circuit Diagram
Picture of Final Project
Content
Coulomb's Law- The equation, "F = kq1q2/r^2" is a formula that allows us to calculate the force between two charged objects. For example, two magnets with low positive strengths would repel slightly. But, if you took more powerful magnets of the same charge their repulsion would be much stronger.
Circuits- A circuit is complete path of electricity through a conductive material from the positive to the negative side of a battery. The two main types of circuits are series and parallel. In series circuits, the electricity travels down a single path through different components. In parallel circuits, the path can split into two or more paths that split the electricity between them.
Current (I)- The flow of electricity through a circuit. It is measured by amperes or amps for short.
Voltage- The potential energy difference from one side of a circuit to the other. It is measured by volts and should equal 0
Resistance (R)- The slowing of the current from an electrical component or resistor.
Power (p)- Strength of the electricity in the circuit. It is measured with watts and the equation P=IR
Programming and Coding- Programming is the process of writing lines of code that tell a computer/circuit what to do. It is an essential part to any program and computer process. We learned to basics of coding and how precise it can be. Misspelling one work could stop your entire program to not work.
Electricity to Magnet- A moving electric current produces a magnetic field. We learned to use the right hand rule which can be used to predict the direction that the magnetic field will travel. With this rule, you can create an electromagnet by wrapping a coil of conductive wire around a ferromagnetic core and creates a magnetic field around it.
The Reflection
My biggest strength for this project was conscientious learning. After missing a couple days, I was really behind and decided to put extra priority on catching up to the rest of the class. After spending a lot of time figuring stuff out by myself, I was able to catch up and work with my partner to turn in our project on time. Another one of my important skills was collaboration. Because this was a partner project, I had to do more work and come up with more ideas than I would need to with a group of 4.
I need to work on my critical thinking skills for any future projects. Programming was a major challenge for me and I found it really difficult to wrap my head around the different lines of code and what they did. I ended up needing a lot of help/guidance to accomplish the work that needed to be done. Programming is tedious task that involves rewriting and testing the program over and over again. I didn't have a ton of patience with the project and almost gave up.