Building and testing Lunch Box Alarms By: Liam R.

Transcription

1 Building and testing Lunch Box Alarms By: Liam R.

2 Investigation Question Can you build a lunch box alarm a different way? Will the alarm be louder or more quiet?

3 Hypothesis I think you could build a lunch box alarm a different way. It might not work. I think the alarm will be the same in noise if it works.

4 Materials Magnetic window switch 9-volt battery Battery holder and clip Piezo buzzer double sided tape wires Lunchbox screws

5 Procedure 1. Attach magnetic switch to lunch box with double sided tape. 2. Attach the bottom of the switch to the box portion of the lunchbox. 3. Attach the other half of the switch to the lid, directly over the bottom half. They do not need to make contact with each other; a slight gap between the two switch halves is fine. 4. Adhere the piezo buzzer to the side of the box, using 5 minute epoxy or double-sided tape. To minimize wire length, mount the buzzer close to the magnetic switch.

6 Procedure (cont.) 5. Mount the battery holder close to the buzzer and switch. The battery holder listed in the Resources section can be mounted with a small screw, a pop rivet or double-sided tape. 6. Connect one lead from the piezo buzzer to the COM terminal of the magnetic switch. Make the connection by clamping the stripped end of the wire lead under the COM terminal screw. 7. Connect the other piezo buzzer lead to the red lead of the battery clip. Connect the black lead of the battery clip to the NO terminal of the switch. 8. Install the 9-volt battery in the holder and connect the clip to it. The alarm will sound at this point because the box is open.

7 Data The lunchbox alarm was a very difficult experiment. We tried over the weekend to conduct the experiment but it didn't work. It worked but in the wrong way. It worked when we put the two magnetic switches closed together and when the the lunchbox closed but not opened. I think the part that wasn't working was the one of the magnetic window switches. I thought one wasn't working because it was the wrong type. Later I found out it wasn't working because it had been demagnetized. A magnet gets demagnetized by a thing with another magnetic field interferes with the magnet. It jumbles up the magnets domain so it doesn't have any magnetic force. First it wasn't sticking to the lunchbox. Then my dad said it was demagnetized. After we tried to go to a different store to get a new one but it didn't work.

8 Data cont. After we tried day after day to build it but it didn't work. We put it together just as the instructions said,but all it it kept doing was ringing really loudly without stoping when we put the battery in. Next we tried switching the battery but it didn't work. Last we drilled the magnetic switches on too the lunchbox with screws so they would stay. Then for our last try we closed the lunchbox put the battery in,but it just kept on ringing without stoping. I also couldn't build it another way because we hadn't built it the right way. By this time it was to late to pick another project. What I learned from this experience that scientists can try to do something over and over again and not succeed.

9 I learned that even if you try so hard to do something and you do it a different way and you work hard you can fail, but you should try another way before you give up. I also learned that you should have good materials. My hypothesis was incorrect because I couldn't build the lunchbox alarm a different way so I couldn't see what alarm would be louder.

10 Conclusion cont. I was surprised when we couldn't figure out how to build the lunchbox alarm. I was also surprised when we put the battery in the holder and the alarm was so loud and it wouldn't stop. One thing I will do differently next time is buy better materials. I will also try more different ways for it to work.

11 Conclusion cont. My questions for the further study is how do other magnetic objects get demagnetizes. Another question for further studies would be why did the alarm just keep on ringing without stopping.