(The reason for former of this title is due to the fact that at first, it took a few tries to get my operation game working and I got very frustrated at it. The reason for the latter of the title is due to the fact that in the process of making the game playable, I accidentally tore apart the Rick Astley paper doll.)
The Boring Sales Pitch
Welcome to Enticing Electricity (yayyyyy, an alliteration)! A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. (Huh, wrong thing?) oh well. In this project, I created an infographic on a type of energy generation, learned about stuff, and created an “Operation” style game! Bonus points, it’s Rick Astley! (Or at least a very mangled version of him) Cameron is not responsible for damage to property or person.
[wow, three FNAF references in one paragraph. “A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life.” and “-is not responsible for damage to property or person.” is from phone guy’s first phone call. “mangle-ed” like the animatronic.]
[Tip for discovering what electricity is and how it moves: Stick a fork into and electrical outlet. Who knows, it might even give you superpowers!]
Looking Back/My Process
The process I took to get my operation game working consisted of looking at and studying the teacher’s finished box and circuit, and comparing mine to the example. To get my game working, I went step-by-step following both the instructions provided and the reference of the teacher’s box and eventually my game just worked somehow. I don’t really understand why my original design did not work as a complete circuit but I suspect that it could have been because I did not follow the instructions closely enough and didn’t have a lot of experience working with circuits.
The Skills/The Takeaway of the Process
Electricity is a wide subject with multiple uses, types, jobs, and functions stemming from it. In this unit I learned a lot more about electricity then I said what about then before I started. For one, I learned some of the more famous ways of generating electricity, and the pros and cons of each of them (through sharing around the class and Kurzgesagt). For example, NEI (The Nuclear Energy Institute) claims that solar photovoltaic plants need 75 times more acreage and that wind farms need 360 times more land to generate the same amount of electricity as a nuclear energy facility. I learned stuff like that just from a single keystone! I also learned about Ohm’s Law (Electrical Potential Difference/Voltage = Current x Resistance, Current = EPD/Voltage / Resistance, Resistance = EPD/Voltage / Current), protons and electrons, positive, negative, and neutral charges, and how to create a circuit diagram (what the symbols are and mean).
Next time, I would hope to make my board game look a little more tidy instead of looking like a little kid stepped on it, but I’m still satisfied with just the fact that it works and that I put effort into it. If I had infinite materials, I would most definitely make sure things were better attached, but such is life.
A Cameron Point-of-View
(What I, as a human being, enjoyed about it, some images, and some fun personal experiences I had during this time. Including after)
Video Link of Game in Action: Here
Alright, now that we’ve got all the necessary school stuff out of the way (except for the driving question which is last. Procrastination ?), it’s time to be Camerooooonnnn.
I really enjoyed this project because we could honestly pursue the final task in a pretty wide variety of ways. You could choose any image you wanted (or create one), and choose any items you wanted to extract. I do have to admit, I was a bit lacking in the creativity department at the start, but then I got an idea. An awful idea. I got a wonderful, awful idea ?.
[now a grinch reference too?]
I decided to do… Rick Astley. Yup. What do you extract from him you might ask? Well, it’s “Never”, “Gonna”, “Give”, “You”, and “Up”. Yup. Although, to make the holes big enough for it to be playable, I had to stab him many, many times. With a pencil, with string cutting scissors, with normal school scissors, and with a glue stick. Yup.
On the last day of semester 1, it was even better. We… made s’mores with Bunsen burners (you probably saw the images already). It was fun times in the classroom. We even got to watch Octonauts near the end! Best (and only) Science class ever!
Thanks for being such a great teacher Ms. Kadi!
-your definitely model student, Cam.
P.S. click on the first P.S.
Driving Questions and Answers
How does electricity help shape our society and how can we generate it more sustainably?
Because it powers technology and makes it possible for modern infrastructure, electricity plays a crucial role in shaping society. It facilitates communication, lighting and heating our homes, and economic expansion. There are a number of options for more environmentally friendly electricity generation:
1. Renewable resources: Utilize renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal to produce electricity without consuming any resources or emitting any emissions.
2. Energy conservation: Utilizing energy-efficient technologies and procedures in industries, transportation, and buildings can cut down on energy waste.
3. Smart grids: Install cutting-edge grid systems that are capable of effectively managing demand and integrating renewable sources.
4. Atomic power: Develop cutting-edge nuclear technologies that can produce electricity while minimizing waste and emitting no greenhouse gases.
5. Capture of carbon: To lessen their impact on the environment, fossil fuel power plants should capture and store carbon emissions.