Electric Circuits:
We started our long trek with the basics of electricity. Ancient Egyptian texts even referenced the "Thunder of the Nile." The writings describe fish releasing an electric shock. This could trace back to catfish and torpedo rays. In 600 BC in Mediterranean cultures, Thales of Miletus researched static electricity and falsely thought that friction arose amber magnetic which needed no rubbing. Even though he was incorrect, later observations proved that there was a connection between magnetism and electricity. In the fifteenth century, Arabs mentioned the first words of lightning. The years in between was almost no mans land for the discoveries of electricity until 1600. English scientist William Gilbert discovered the lodestone effect after carefully observing the behaviors and relationships of electricity and magnetism. He named the property of two objects rubbing together the New Latin word electricus. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning had electrical current by attaching a key to a kite and flying it during a storm. He claims that there were indeed sparks. In 1791, Luigi Galvani introduced bioelectricity to the public. This stated the electric connection between nerve cells in the body. In 1887, Heinrich Hertz publicized how electric sparks are created easily with electrodes illuminated by ultraviolet light. In 1905, Albert Einstein proposed that light energy travels in energizing electrons, also known as the photoelectric effect. This theory is applied today to solar panels in the incorporation of photocells. In the 1930s, "cat-whisker detectors" were the first radio receivers. Many other electric explorations were also made to bring us to our knowledge of electricity today. There will always be more to discover about electricity.
The Alligator Clips:
Some students are visual learners, especially students who enjoy project based learning. The alligator clips, wires, and light bulb sockets allowed us to see how electric circuits work and don't work. For example, if one end of the wire is not connected to the battery, then it is not a complete circuit. Or if two ends of the wire are on the positive side or negative side of the battery, it is not a complete circuit. When the wires create a complete loop to both sides of the battery with conductors and resistors (light bulbs), then you have a complete circuit. The great part is when you have a complete circuit, the light bulb will light up.
After grasping the fundamental principle of electric circuits, we were introduced to objects in parallel and series. In series, they are purely linked with a conductor. In parallel, a connection lies between the resistor and the other resistors. Next, came voltage and current. Current is the amount of electric flow or energy. The current will stay the same when the bulbs are in series, but the current splits when the bulbs are in parallel. Voltage is the potential energy difference, or the "push" of electricity. The voltage will split between the bulbs when they are in series, and the voltage is the same in the bulbs when they are in parallel. From there on, we observed how resistors and position on a circuit can affect the voltage of a bulb and the current of a circuit. As a class, we drew schematic circuit diagrams using the symbols below. Our observations below can give you an impression on our research on electric circuits.
The Breadboard:
After "perfecting" the basic material of electric circuits, we moved on to a more advanced project of the breadboard. A breadboard is an experimental model for electric circuits. This was more complicated because there were no light bulbs to identify that the circuit was complete and correct. We read schematic circuit diagrams to create different circuits. The picture to the left shows which group of wires are connected on the breadboard. We applied this knowledge to the creation of our circuits. Many different resistors were introduced, each have a different amount of resistance. Below is a chart demonstrating how to decipher the resistance of a resistor based off the colors on its band:
Along with resistors, we worked with capacitors, LEDs, LM386 amplifier chip, potentiometers, and many linking wires. After we incorporated these devices in a circuit. we would measure the current, voltage, and resistance with a multimeter. We quickly found out that a multimeter can go in parallel with a circuit when calculating resistance and voltage. When measuring current, the multimeter needed to go in series with the circuit to conduct the current also. If the multimeter went in parallel with the circuit when measuring current, the battery would have burnt out since electricity follows the path of least resistance. As a final assessment, we had to read a schematic circuit diagram and follow its instructions to make a LED light up. Below is an example of all these devices and how we applied them. After all our experience with electric circuits, it was rewarding to see the LED light up.
Reflection:
My group has been working together for about 3 weeks now. We truly have become even closer then we were before. If I were to work with any group for such a long time, it would be this exact group. We collaborated excellently, and great ideas poured out of our heads. The only down side with this project was not one of us was educated with electric circuits and computer sciences. When working with the breadboards, we tried our best to follow the instructions step by step in order to reach the preferred outcome. During the final SparkFun assessment, we were extremely flustered. Our circuit was the exact replica of the schematic circuit diagram, yet the LED yielded to illuminate. It didn't dawn upon us until much later that the LED's cathode was not in the negative bus of the breadboard. As you can see, we felt like pulling our hair when this was figured out. This experiment taught me how to keep my composure. Freaking out will only make the situation more tense and stressful. Taking a deep breath and counting to ten will relax your mind enough to think clearly and solve the problem. In some ways, I learned to forgive and forget. We swam through unknown waters and prevailed together.
The electric circuits lab opened my eyes of a quality about myself. I enjoy being aware and educated at the topic at hand. Sometimes I pretend to know something when I really am oblivious of that subject. How can I learn about a topic when I don't ask questions about it? People are going to know more about something than me, and it is okay. Instead of going along with the conversation and nodding my head, I should let people share their wealth of knowledge with me. No one cares who is smarter than who. We all can learn something from each other. In the future, I will look for help in a rough subject. Fake it 'til you make it won't take you that far.
As for the programming, it was our first independent project. After spending months depending on other group members to deliver, it was nice to power through the SparkFun course at my own pace. Personally, I like to be efficient and try to stay on schedule. The first forty percent of the course was self-explanatory and easy to work through. Between forty and seventy percent, I was suffering. It was all on you to create a code in SparkFun language. There were many days I wanted to chuck the computer at the wall. I definitely gained perseverance in this project. I was persistent and never lost hope. When life gave me lemons, I made lemonade. The light at the end of the tunnel did come. The last thirty percent of the course seemed like a piece of cake compared to the previous challenges and lessons. That feeling of finishing the SparkFun course is in my top ten of most proud moments. When you work hard at something, it is certainly rewarding.
This SparkFun course showcased my lack of confidence in my work and myself. When Mrs.Havel was expounding upon the process of the thirteen hour coding course and programming a robot, I told myself no way. I would never think in a million years that I'd know how computers operate and function. Turns out it is not as complicated as I thought. We might have ran out of time, but I understood how people built robots. The SparkFun language made sense to me. Doubting myself will only stop me from excelling at other things. For later projects, I will make sure to believe in my abilities and what I'm capable of. The only thing holding me back is myself.
Below are lists of the peaks and pits of the project.
Peaks
- Finishing the meticulous SparkFun coding course
- Creating a circuit so that the LED would light up
Pits
- the "Practice Makes Perfect" section of coding(very difficult creating your own code alone)
- the beginning of electric currents when our group felt like deer in the headlights
Photo used under Creative Commons from xoundbox