Science Fair Project Ideas That Win Awards - Project #6 - Light Circuits

Objective

This is one of those science fair experiments that are based on a light circuit or an electric circuit. Here you will test how a light circuit is affected by changing a pencil resistor's length.

Introduction

Man knew about electricity right from the early days when ancient Greeks produced static electricity by causing friction between amber and fur. Benjamin Franklin risked his life to demonstrate that electricity due to lightning was nothing but static electricity.

In 1800, Alessandro Volta developed the first electric circuit. André Marie Ampère, in 1820, suggested that a correlation existed between magnetism and electricity, a concept that was later established. In 1826, Georg Ohm, who continued the work of Volta, determined that the quantity of electricity that moved through a conductor, its strength and the resistance offered, was directly proportional to the electric current produced, which later came to be known as the Ohm's Law. We can use these principals in literally hundreds of science fair experiments.

In spite of the groundwork done by Ampère, Volta, and Ohm, electricity was not a useful commodity. The use of electricity became practical for the first time when Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1877.

This is one of those science fair experiments where you will make use of the above knowledge established by these great men in the form of cells, circuits, resistors and light bulbs.

Materials

• Pencils
• Three wires with alligator clips at both ends
• Battery (9V)
• 9V light bulb (small)
• Bulb holder
• Ruler
• Pencil sharpener
• An extra wire piece
• Popsicle stick
• A coping saw

Preparation

Setting up the circuit board

All connections must be done using insulated alligator clips. Connect two wires to both the terminals of the battery. Connect the free end of the first wire to the contact screw of a bulb holder and leave the second wire free. Now take a third wire and connect it to the bulb holder's second contact screw. Leave the free end of the third wire as it is.

Now we have two free ends attached to alligator clips. Now place the light bulb in the bulb holder and touch the free ends of the wires. If the bulb lights up, your circuit is ready. If not, check if all wires are connected correctly.

Making your pencil resistors

Cut various pencils into different sizes such as 3 inches, 5 inches, 7 inches, and so on by using a coping saw. Sharpen each piece at both ends. Please take the help of your parents for this step.

Measuring the pencil resistors

Now using a ruler measure the length of each pencil piece from one lead point to the other. Data must always be accurately recorded in science fair experiments. So, write down the lengths of each pencil piece in a table.

Procedure

1. Now connect each pencil to the circuit one by one. You can do this by clamping both the graphite lead tips of the same pencil with the alligator clips connected to the free ends of the circuit wire.
2. Make a note of the brightness of the bulb every time you connect a different pencil resistor to your circuit. Measure the brightness using a number scale. For example, on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 could mean darkness and 5 could mean brightness. Write the rating besides each respective pencil resistor in the table.
3. I hope you have not forgotten the extra wire piece and the Popsicle stick. Place each of them in the circuit, rating them in the same way. These serve as the control groups. The extra wire piece is your "positive control" and the Popsicle stick, your "negative control"

I'm sure you like my idea of using your pencil as a resistor. Before you go ahead with it, I would like to offer you a free copy of "Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects", which you can download from the link below right now.

A great resource for science project ideas, as well as how to do them, is the science project blog. Definitely worth bookmarking.

Be sure to look for my other articles on science projects. Now go get going!

About the Author
Aurora Lipper has been teaching science to kids for over 10 years. She is also a mechanical engineer, university instructor, pilot, astronomer and a real live rocket scientist (You should see the lab in her basement!) She has inspired thousands of kids with the fun and magic of science.

Merits of Technical Education and Upcoming Challenges

Modern civilization is dominated by science and scientific development. As a result if it, specialization in certain branches and industrialization has become the most important aspect of scientific development. It is because of this reason that the question arises that is technical education necessary? Yes it is necessary to progress and meet the modern world challenges. In earlier days, education was meant for spiritual cultivation. The main reason of education was to discipline our emotions and thinking and doing by so it made us fit for a proper type of social life. With the passage of time, education became broader in its embrace and more significant in organizing the society.

A number of politicians made use of education for propagating their ideologies in some regions. China and Russia of yesterday, some of the sayings of individuals were taught in schools and colleges. The young minds were stuffed with certain thoughts which suited their purposes. But now today, education is becoming more and more job-oriented. This is the reason, for the question is technical education necessary? Some bullet points for the technical education are discussed as below:-

a. Technical training makes us skilled so that we may be able to handle the machineries properly. Technical education make expert in certain domains of life. There are various jobs that cannot be performed well unless having technical education.

b. It is very important for any country of the world. It is not possible to make industry the important basis of economy as we envisaged without making arrangements for technical education.

c. It is recommended that industries should setup or help to facilitate technical education programs. But this process cannot go on for all times to come. Atone or other stage, they will have to reduce the number of those who get the education so that there may not be the unemployment among the technical peoples.

d. It is generally said that technical men can never remain unemployed as they can have their own industry but it is true in theories only. Practically it requires a good market to sell the finished goods. It is not possible enough to provide these two items together top technical men.

e. It is believe of Russel that the education makes the people inhuman and purely objective. They look at the problem from technical point of view as their thinking becomes cold and calculating. This might be the possible defects of it.

f. One should try to have broad outlook, comprehensive thinking and humanity approach. For all this there should be liberal education with technical one.

g. It makes human begins machines but when it is tempered with liberal education, it may become more wholesome and useful.

h. Liberal education not only makes us cultivation our affection but also develop ones thinking. It should be a part of training after completing education and should not be education in itself. Technical education is more or practical whereas education is somewhat different from learning the skills.

Thus the significant of technical education is remarkable in the modern era.

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