science + design =

http://jennscheer.com/projectflash

i am done. go play. phew! one more paper..

process

http://jennscheer.com/projectflash/

CONCEPT
the beauty of science is simplicity. and the chemical reaction that creates a battery is as simple as zinc + copper + acid.

experiments like making a lemon-powered clock need straightforward directions, but also much encourage kids to start thinking in terms of play instead of work. start thinking, start tinkering, and feel comfortable doing it in your own bedroom!

"there ain't no rules around here! we're trying to accomplish something!"
—einstein

ASSOCIATED WORDLIST
linear
steps
order
scientific method
experiment
goggles
laboratory
clean
freedom
awe
excitement
new
mystery
lab coat
science
electron
proton
how it works
circuit
power
energy
Bill Nye
Einstein
whole
complete
serious
fruit
metal
energy-saving
learning
knowledge
electricians’ clips
clock
battery
lemon
copper
wire
galvanized
nails
food
time
tick-tock
transfer
connection
positive
negative
everyday
play
creative
supply
hardware
dissolve
reaction
eat away
sizzle
fizz
rust
acid
resourceful
handy
do it yourself
electricity
chemist
scientist

KEYWORDS
excitement: a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness; something that arouses such a feeling, an exciting incident

reaction: an action performed or a feeling experienced in response to a situation or event; a chemical process in which two or more substances act mutually on each other and are changed into different substances, or one substance changes into two or more other substances; an analogous transformation of atomic nuclei or other particles; a mode of thinking or behaving that is deliberately different from previous modes of thought and behavior

energy: the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity; power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical respources, especially to provide light and heat or to work machines; vitality; vigor; life; animation; spirit

order: the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method; a state in which everything is in its correct or appropriate place; the overall state or condition of something; an authoritative command, direction, or instruction

play: engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose; amuse oneself by engaging in imaginative pretense; the space in or through which a mechanism can or does move (interesting last definition..)

resourceful: having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties; involving the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work; inventive; ingenious

AUDIENCE PERSONAS

1.
Although Sam's grades in school aren't the highest, he is always tinkering around at home, taking apart old radios, collecting spare parts, and asking, "Why?" Online he has found many websites with fun games but he prefers to read Wikipedia, eHow, or work offline instead. He's a clever kid, mature for his age.

If he's looking for directions, he wants the most succinct instructions. It must be a tutorial he can follow along with himself, or remember vividly for later.

2.
Alix is in fifth grade and constantly online or in the library, chatting, exploring, and playing. She is a good student but more of a book-learner, a studier, a test-taker. She often has big plans for extravagant projects or experiments, but gets distracted by new plans or doesn't get the proper motivation to go through with them.

For the ones she does try, it usually takes quick, simple steps that offer immediate results. She sees many potential ideas, but a tutorial with attractive photos instead of illustrations has a better chance of sparking her imagination.

TO COMMUNICATE
empowerment
curiosity
excitement
investigation

TO SUGGEST
do-it-yourself
ease
craft
fun
lighthearted
play

fennesz

///

if you think too hard about what everyone else is doing, you’ll wind up doing it too.
(instead think long and hard about what they’re not doing)
and about how to do better what you do best.

///

a coupla screenshots of nice websites and designers lately.

electricityyy

http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/elect/index.htm

http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/siliconspies/flash/concepts/electricity.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/changing_circuits_fs.shtml

http://www.andythelwell.com/blobz/

http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/siliconspies/siliconspieslink.htm

http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/learn/activities/feature/famf119weirdsci/famf119weirdsci6.html

project 3

HOW TO MAKE A LEMON-POWERED CLOCK

A pair of lemons and a quick trip to the hardware store is all you need to convert natural chemical energy into electrical power.
Alessandro Volta invented the battery in Italy, in 1800, combining zinc, copper, and an acid to create energy. A common lemon can provide the acid (you can also use a potato if there's no lemon around), and you can rig one to run your own digital clock.

What you need:

—A battery operated digital clock without a plug. It can use two AA batteries, or a round battery. Depending on the connections, you have to rig the wires in different ways, but that's where the fun starts.
—Two fairly large galvanized nails. Nails are measured in length (in inches) and in diameter (with designations of 3d, 6d, 8d, 10d, and the like). We used a 16d, 3 1/2 inches--a solid nail. Galvanized nails are a must and we'll explain why below.
—Copper wire. Uncoated wire is easier. If your wire comes with a coating, use a wire stripper to remove an inch or two of the covering.
—Three electrician's clips.
—Two lemons, or one very large lemon cut in half.

What you do:

In five simple steps, here is how you run a digital clock on a lemon.
STEP ONE: Place the lemons on a plate, or any flat surface that can serve as the base for the clock. Push one nail into each lemon and then, as far away from the nails as possible, also push in a strand of copper wire. Label your lemons one and two. What you're going to do now is create a closed circuit, so energy can flow from the lemon into the clock and back again.
STEP TWO: Open up the clock's battery compartment. Depending on your clock, there are two AA batteries, or a single battery that looks like a button. Remove the battery (you'll be replacing its energy, believe it or not, with the lemon-nail-and-copper concoction you've just created). Notice that the positive and negative points are marked as such.
STEP THREE: On lemon number one, use the electrician's clip to connect the copper wire to the positive point in the clock. This may be a challenge; in some cases it's easier said than done.
If you can't connect your wire to the positive point in the batter compartment, you'll need to remove the clock's plastic backing and open up the clock. An adult should help with this, and remember, once you take the clock apart it may not go back together. Inside, you'll see that the positive and negative points are connected to wires on the inside of the clock. You can remove the wires from the back of the battery compartment, and then use them to make your connections. If you have a two-AA-battery clock, and inside you find two positive wires, make sure you connect your copper wire with both. Once you've figured this out, the rest is a breeze.
STEP FOUR: On lemon number two, connect the nail to the clock's negative point. You may need to move the lemon into a new position so you can clip the nail to the clock.
STEP FIVE: Link the copper wire from lemon number two to the nail sticking out of the lemon number one. You'll see now that you've made an entire electrical circuit, from clock, to lemon, to the next lemon, and back to the clock. If all has gone well, the clock now works, because just under one volt of electricity is coursing the circuit.
If the clock does not work, make sure all connections are secure, and then double-check the directions. If several months from now the clock stops, replace the lemons, or the nails, and it should begin ticking once again.

Why it works:

The nail has been galvanized, which means it was coated with zinc to help resist rust. The lemon contains acid. This acid dissolves the zinc on the nail. In chemistry terms, this means that the zinc loses and electron and becomes a positive force. The moisture in the lemon functions as an electrolyte, a fluid that conducts electrons--if you will, a swimming pool for electrons.
The electron shoots out of the zinc, through the lemon, to react with the copper on the wire. The copper gains an electron and becomes a negative force. The exchange of electrons is a chemical reaction. It creates chemical energy, or charge. All that charge needs is a circuit.
The electron exchange buzzes around the circuit you built--zinc/nail to copper wire to clock to copper wire to nail to lemon to copper to zinc/nail to lemon, and so on. That's the transfer from chemical energy to electricity, and it gets the clock going as well as any manufactured battery.