Day 120, Monday, 14 March, 2016 Radio Day with Schematics Questions Δ V Antennas Variable Capacitors Variable Inductors Radio Logic Gates
Question 1 1. Why doesn’t an electric eel electrocute itself when it discharges?
Answer 1 The eel is typically 10 times longer than its prey. That means it has 10 3 times the volume (mass). So it is getting about 1/1000 th amps/kg as the prey.
Question 2 2. Frankenstein used lightning to animate his creation (millions of volts). What voltage would be needed to stimulate a cell?
Answer 2 28mV. (Peak action potential of a cell membrane)
It is not the voltage that is dangerous
It’s ΔV that’s important Squirrels cause many blackouts by short circuiting power circuits
Curious but uneducated minds do not mix well with electricity Squirrel guard
Curious and educated minds know no boundaries
Antennas An antenna (or aerial) is a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves. In other words, antennas convert electromagnetic waves into electrical currents and vice versa.
Resonant Frequency The "resonant frequency” and "electrical resonance" is related to the electrical length of an antenna. The electrical length is usually the physical length of the wire divided by its velocity factor (the ratio of the speed of wave propagation in the wire to C, the speed of light in a vacuum). Typically an antenna is tuned for a specific frequency, and is effective for a range of frequencies that are usually centered on that resonant frequency.
Antenna Length ½ wavelength is best
Capacitor 2 plates and a gap A variable capacitor The capacitance limits the frequency of transmitted messages
Variable Capacitors as Frequency Filters
Schematics of a Radio Antenna Variable capacitor (tuner) RF amplifier (transistor) Detector (Diode) Audio amplifier (transistor) Power Amplifier (transistor) Speaker
AM radio
Simple (low power) AM Radio Antenna Variable Inductor (frequency control – high end) Variable Capacitor (frequency control – low end) Diode (detector) Ear Bud
Variable Capacitor
Variable inductor
Speaker
Simple (passive) AM radio
Improvements too the simple AM radio
Circuit Schematics Activity Match the name with the property with the schematic element (picture).
AND Gate
OR Gate
Truth Tables for AND Gates and OR Gates
Credits Capacitor profesanxenxo.iespana.es/electrical/capacitor. jpg Start capacitor
Credits II Squirrel Guard Electrocuted Squirrel photo tml tml Jedi Squirrels joanharvest.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/s quir... squirrels_N.htm
Credits III Variable Capacitor diagram ects/Teaching%20Advanced%20Physics/El ectricity/Capacitors/index.html Variable Capacitor Photo
Credits IV Antennas Wikipedia Resonant Frequency Wikipedia Simple Radio schematics Radio with Loop Antenna schematic schematics.php
Credits V AND Gate Diagram Or Gate diagram