Solar toys and the application to sustainable architecture 

 

Article: Science and Technology. 

EXCERPT:


Tick, tock, tick, tock, … you are reading a time-clock. 

In scientific terms 32,768 Hertz ( 2 to the power of 15). In other words it vibrates at 32,768 per second!

Isn’t that just stunning? I mean in one second you have to count from 1 to 32,768 – it is humanly impossible. It is this vibration that has me in awe in this article. Please wait for it. That same 32,768-quartz-crystal makes a clock tick at one beat per second! But how?

It all started when my wife asked me to replace the batteries of two of the quartz clocks in our home. You will see them. They run on penlight batteries (AA). One of the clocks casings are translucent; the mechanisms are visible through the light-grey case. It is very inexpensive and costs about $5 to $12 (US). Why all the fuss about such a cheap product? That is precisely the point—the miracle in the $8 mechanism. I have searched how a quartz clock works; you don’t have to. It is then that I discovered the super brilliant video of Steve Mould on quartz clocks. Make sure you view it! .......... 


Here Steve Mould explains the flip-flop concept. A 32,768 vibration is reduced to only one pulse per second. He uses jandals (rubber sandals) on a rope to illustrate and communicate the process.  Don’t miss the flip-flop! It is wonderful! Credit Steve Mould: https://youtu.be/_2By2ane2I4

Read the article online: https://williamvanzyl.atavist.com/a-quartz-crystal-vibrates-at-an-amazing-32768-times-per-second-a-series-of-flip-flops-take-it-to-only-1-pulse-per-second-

6-in -one solar toy  

Solar powered toy – 6-in-one: Application to sustainable architecture.

Description: This tutorial illustrates the 6-in-one Solar Robot Kit (Toy); namely a solar puppy, solar revolving plane, solar boat, and solar sled, etc. It continues to explore the alternative practical application of these solar components for sustainable architecture.  

Keywords: solar power, wind turbine, electrical motor, sustainable architecture, solar toy, testing solar, design and visual communication, photovoltaic panel, dynamo, batteries, electrical wires, electronic timer, electronics. 


SEE MORE AT: FIVE HOUSE PUBLISHING (STEM AND STEAM PROJECT-BASED-EDUCATION) 

https://fivehousepublishing.com/product-category/stem-education-project-based/ 


READ ONLINE: STEM PROJECT - ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS AND MORE.

https://williamvanzyl.atavist.com/greeting-card-integrated-learning-copper-tape-led-light-3-volt-battery-and-artwork



BELOW A VIDEO TUTORIAL CREATED BY THE AUTHOR SPECIFICALLY WITH THE 6-IN-ONE SOLAR TOY IN MIND. 

Credit background image: Pixabay (no attribution required).

SPACE MOBILE BY GREENEX (SOLAR POWERED CAR) 

Product Overview

The Greenex Solar Space Mobile helps kids learn about solar energy, solar panels, and clean, green renewable energy sources. This science kit is easy for kids to snap together, and the car operates on natural sunlight or on batteries when indoors. This eco-friendly toy provides hours of fun learning. For ages 8 and older. 

The Greenex Series of products connect the environment to amazing science experiments. Smartly designed, each Greenex kit allows kids to snap the pieces together with ease. Simply snap all key components and modules together and then pull them apart once finished. Encourages kids to experiment on their own for additional learning. Best of all, each kit can snap to another to integrate functions for double (triple, quadruple) the fun. 

  • - Provides hands-on learning about clean, renewable energy sources
  • - Kids learn how solar energy can be harnessed and used as an energy source
  • - Easy for kids to snap together
  • - Pulls apart for easy storage
  • - Recommended for kids ages 8 and older  


SPACE MOBILE-SOLAR TOY: APPLICATION FOR SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE.

Description:

The tutorial explains the exploration of the space mobile (solar toy) and endeavours to explain how tinkering and hacking by students could improve architectural design skills. The focus is on passive solar architectural design, and ‘The Sliding House’ (ref: therusselhouse.org) is used to illustrate movement. Bio-mimetics: A turtle is used to describe the sliding house (‘shell’ slides over the body). The tutorial includes the following areas: Sustainable architecture, passive solar design, movement, rack and pinion, batteries, photovoltaic panels, electric motor, electric car, gears, eccentric, breadboard (electronics), oscillator, chain, heatsink, thermal mass, shading, Bluetooth connectivity, and simple programming.     

Keywords:

Sustainable architecture, sliding house, passive solar design, movement, rack and pinion, batteries, photovoltaic panels, electric motor, electric car, gears, eccentric, breadboard (electronics), oscillator, chain, heatsink, thermal mass, shading, Bluetooth connectivity, simple programming.  

 

Credit background image: http://www.therussellhouse.org/html/_images_4.html 

SOLAR GRASSHOPPER: SOLAR KIT TO ILLUSTRATE HOW SOLAR POWER WORKS TO SPIN AN ECCENTRIC (OFF-CENTERED WEIGHT).    

Description: The solar grasshopper illustrates how energy from the sun is harvested. An electric motor is powered by the sun’s energy and spins an off-centered little weight to provide vibration. The vibration provides the movement to the grasshopper. It is a great toy, or kit, to introduce Design and Visual Communication students to solar power and sustainable architecture.  

Keywords: Solar power, harvesting energy from the sun, eccentric, off-centered weight, electrical motor, vibration, solar panel, photovoltaic panel, movement, sustainable architecture, and design and visual communication.

See more at  https://fivehousepublishing.com/product-category/stem-education-project-based/ and on the YouTube channel.

Credit background image (thumbnail) YouTube. Credit image: https://pixabay.com/      

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