E X PE R I M E NT M A N UA L Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizerstr. 5-7, 70184 Stuttgart, Germany | +49 (0) 711 2191-0 | www.kosmos.de Thames & Kosmos, 301 Friendship St., Providence, RI, 02903, USA | 1-800-587-2872 | www.thamesandkosmos.com Thames & Kosmos UK Ltd, Goudhurst, Kent, TN17 2QZ , United Kingdom | 01580 212000 | www.thamesandkosmos.co.
› › › IMPORTANT INFORMATION Safety Notes for Parents and Children ››› NOTE! Not suitable for children under 3 years of age. There is a risk of choking if small parts are swallowed or inhaled. Store the experiment material and assembled models out of the reach of small children. ››› NOTE! Only for use by children 8 years and older. Instructions are included for parents or other supervising adults. Please follow them! ››› Save the packaging and instructions. They contain important information.
› › › CONTENTS Table of Contents.................................................................... 1 Kit Contents ............................................................................. 2 Tips and Tricks for Assembly............................................... 9 EXPERIMENTS Colored Light from Circulating Current........................... 10 Experiment with the bright colors of your three LEDs, and dive into the basics of electrical current. Circuits of Sound.....................................
› › › KIT CONTENTS GOOD TO KNOW! If you are missing any parts, please contact Thames & Kosmos customer service. Component Name The components in your kit This list provides brief descriptions and illustrations of all the components in the experiment kit. 2 Qty. Component Description Battery compartment Item No. 712961 Never connect the two battery terminals directly together! The battery and cables could get hot and cause a fire. Also, the battery would drain very quickly.
Kit Contents Component Name Qty. Component Description Connector with 3 prongs (T-shaped) Item No. 705053 6 For electrical connections. The three plugs are electrically connected to each other as indicated by the white lines. Referred to as “T-connectors” in the instructions because their shape is similar to that of a “T.” Connector with 4 prongs Item No. 712958 3 For the electrical connection of components. Only the two opposite prongs are electrically connected, not all four of them.
› › › KIT CONTENTS Component Name Qty. Component Description Phototransistor Item No. 708803 1 This component reacts to light: It lets electric current pass through more or less easily, depending on illumination. Diode Item No. 712926 2 An electrical valve that only allows current to flow in one direction, and blocks it in the other. Sound generator (IC) Item No.
Kit Contents Component Name Qty. Resistor, 22 ohms (22 Ω) Item No. 712951 1 Resistor, 150 ohms (150 Ω) Item No. 712940 1 Resistor, 470 ohms (470 Ω) Item No. 712941 2 Component Description Resistors allow you to regulate the flow of current. They come in various electrical magnitudes, indicated in “ohms” (Ω), “kilohms” (kΩ), or “megohms” (MΩ). Resistors with large values let less current through than ones with smaller values printed on them. Component Illustration Component Name Qty.
› › › KIT CONTENTS 6 Component Name Qty. Component Description Resistor, 22 kilohms (22 kΩ) Item No. 708808 2 Resistor, 680 kilohms (680 kΩ) Item No. 712952 1 Resistor, 39 kilohms (39 kΩ) Item No. 712947 1 Resistor, 1 megohm (1 MΩ) Item No. 712950 1 Resistor, 68 kilohms (68 kΩ) Item No. 712948 1 Thermistor (NTC) Item No. 712938 1 Resistor, 100 kilohms (100 kΩ) Item No.
Kit Contents Component Name Qty. Electrolytic capacitor, 470 microfarads (470 μF) Item No. 712954 1 Electrolytic capacitor, 100 microfarads (100 μF) Item No. 708810 2 Electrolytic capacitor, 10 microfarads (10 μF) Item No. 712955 2 Capacitor, 0.1 microfarad (0.1 μF) Item No. 708812 2 Component Description Capacitors have important tasks to perform in circuits. They come in a variety of electrical magnitudes, indicated in “microfarads” (μF).
› › › KIT CONTENTS Component Name Electrode set Item No. 712957 Voltage and Current Meter Item No. 712937 Microphone Item No. 712936 8 Qty. 1 1 1 Component Description The electrode set consists of two wires. The red wire has a piece of copper sheeting at one end, and the blue wire has a piece of zinc sheeting. You can use this multipurpose meter to measure voltage and current strength.
Pockets of Resistance EXPERIMENT 15 More or less resistance RESISTORS IN VARIOUS SIZES What effect does a resistor have on a circuit? You can easily find out by using the selector switch. 470 HERE’S HOW Watch how the brightness of the LED changes. In addition to the 3.3-kΩ resistor, try testing the other resistors in the kit as well.
Digitally Connected In this chapter’s experiments, you will be learning about what is widely accepted as the most important component in electronics — the transistor. The transistor has many uses. You will start by using it as an electrically activated switch. Switches like this form the basis of all digital technology — in other words, computers. Each computer chip contains billions of transistors. TIP! Remember that the kit contains two different types of transistors: the NPN type and the PNP type.
Operations with Amplification Radios yesterday and today It was only about 100 years ago in an experiment carried out at Brant Rock, Massachusetts, that the first radio transmissions were sent wirelessly. The technical foundations had already been laid about ten years before then by the inventor Nicola Tesla, and the Italian Guglielmo Marconi subsequently improved the technology for transmission and reception.
