Your Smartphone
How does your smartphone work?
Your smartphone contains metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. The materials used to build the touchscreen, electronic components, battery, and casing depend on the properties of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. Investigate the properties of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. Discover how your smartphone responds touch and sends information from one device to another.
It's Not Magic, It's Science Investigation #1
Each pure substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it.
- Examine the metals and nonmetal samples in your exploration bin.
- Record the appearance of each sample (color., luster, etc.)
- Test each sample for electrical conductivity.
- Test each sample for magnetic attraction.
- Use your observations and a dichotomous key to identify each sample.
- In your journal, describe the properties of metals and nonmetals.
Metals have free electrons in the valence. The free electrons will flow as electrical current.
image source: http://weelookang.blogspot.com/2015/05/ejss-drift-velocity-model.htmlIt's Not Magic, It's Science Investigation #2
Synthetic materials are made from natural resources.
- Test the sample synthetic materials for electrical conductivity and magnetism.
- Use the chemical formula to explain the properties of the synthetic materials.
- If a Smartphone stylus depends on electrical conductivity, which materials could be used to build a stylus?
- In your exploration journal, describe your investigation include the materials your would use to construct a Smartphone stylus..
Electrons flow from the negative anode of the 9-volt battery though the metal electrode to the substance being tested. If the material is a conductor, electrons will flow through the positive electrode to the cathode of the battery, completing an electrical circuit. Analyze the flow shown in the animation.
It's Not Magic, It's Science Investigation #3
Substances are made from different types of atoms, which combine with one another in various ways. Atoms form molecules that range in size from two to thousands of atoms.
- Take two pieces of cellophane tape. Place the tape strips so that the non-sticky sides face each other. What happens? Now place your finger between the two pieces of tape. What happens?
- Next, improvise a Smartphone stylus using the materials in the bin.
It's Not Magic, It's Science Investigation #4
Digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.
- Gather information to support or refute the claim stated in bold by reading the article provided in Google Classroom, the posted Newsela article, and viewing the videos in the slideshow.
- Compare digital and analog waves.
- Explain how digital signals are sent from a smartphone.
- Explain how digital signals are transmitted.
- Explain how dital signals are received.