i loved doing those experiments it let me feel free to eoxlpre with supplies i never used before and tools i used before. it lets you feel like you are turning into a smart and intelligent scientist eoxlprer.
Great review of Snap Circuits. I just purchased a set for my almost-7-year-old, and so far she’s enthralled. I had the same disappointment you did, in that the manual instructs her in how to build each circuit, but it rarely does an adequate job of explaining why it works the way it does, or which electrical principles are at work. I’m going to order the student guide to see if that better meets my expectations.
I do have to object to one of the analogies in your glossary, however. Electric current is not the measure of how FAST electricity is flowing in a wire–that speed is more or less dependent upon the medium (e.g. copper wire). It is the RATE at which electric charge flows through that medium. Imagine the billions of electrons flowing past a fixed point in your circuit. A circuit with twice the current has twice as many electrons passing that point each second, but the electrons in both circuits move at the same speed.
I’m glad that you like them Shambrey. You and your classmates are catihcng on really quick and not afraid to try new things with the circuits. It’s so exciting to see you all try new things and getting your circuits to work. But even when it doesn’t you figure out how to make it work. That’s all a part of doing science. Keep it up!!!
i loved doing those experiments it let me feel free to eoxlpre with supplies i never used before and tools i used before. it lets you feel like you are turning into a smart and intelligent scientist eoxlprer.
Great review of Snap Circuits. I just purchased a set for my almost-7-year-old, and so far she’s enthralled. I had the same disappointment you did, in that the manual instructs her in how to build each circuit, but it rarely does an adequate job of explaining why it works the way it does, or which electrical principles are at work. I’m going to order the student guide to see if that better meets my expectations.
I do have to object to one of the analogies in your glossary, however. Electric current is not the measure of how FAST electricity is flowing in a wire–that speed is more or less dependent upon the medium (e.g. copper wire). It is the RATE at which electric charge flows through that medium. Imagine the billions of electrons flowing past a fixed point in your circuit. A circuit with twice the current has twice as many electrons passing that point each second, but the electrons in both circuits move at the same speed.
I’m glad that you like them Shambrey. You and your classmates are catihcng on really quick and not afraid to try new things with the circuits. It’s so exciting to see you all try new things and getting your circuits to work. But even when it doesn’t you figure out how to make it work. That’s all a part of doing science. Keep it up!!!