In this week’s Manufacturing video, we’re learning about electric circuits, the property of voltage, and how it relates to parallel and series circuits.

Once completed, send your picture and video to designingthefuture@PennStateOffice365.onmicrosoft.com with “Your Name – Week Four Manufacturing Submission” as the subject line.

Materials needed:

• Wire
• Electric lights(Not LEDs, small christmas tree light size,minimum of two) (in kit)
• Battery (Two AAA batteries)
• Cardboard
• Electronic Buzzer (in kit)
• Aluminum Foil
• Tape

Warning: Electricity can be dangerous so you have to be careful. No matter what you must NOT cause a short circuit that means directly connecting the two ends of the same battery to each other. DO NOT DO this as it will damage the battery and possibly hurt you. Also do not lick the battery, lights or any other material related to this challenge.

Activity 1:

Your goal with this week’s first challenge is to build real life examples of the circuits I showed you in the video. First make a series circuit with two lights hooked up with a battery to form a series circuit. Then take a picture of it. Next make a parallel circuit with each of the two lights on their own path. Then take a picture of it.

Activity 2:

Your goal for this week’s second challenge is to make a pressure switch for an electronic buzzer using all of your new knowledge about electronic circuits. To do this you have to wrap one side of two pieces of cardboard with aluminum foil. Then attach those two pieces with the foil covered sides facing each other separated by cardboard that has been folded so when the two pieces of cardboard are pushed together they are pushed apart by the seperators. Then construct the rest of the circuit shown in the picture below, make sure to pay close attention to the orientation of the red and black wires because if they are placed wrong the buzzer will not work. Once you have done that, attach the circuit to the pressure switch you have made out of cardboard and see if it works. Once you have it working take a video of you using it and send that as part of your submission.