Visible Gizmos connecting circuits to student life

Abstract

Often students first studying circuits become so tangled in series, parallel, Kirchhoff, Thevenin and Norton that they do not see that circuits are abstract representations of real objects in the real world, objects that they use every day. The Visible Gizmo project is used in a first circuits course to help students make the connection between textbook circuits and electrical devices in their own lives. Each student chooses an electrical device and obtains one. They must identify the circuits present, and measure physical quantities to confirm the ratings or other numerical information on the device. Then the student prepares a presentation of the gizmo, making it visible like the Visible People many students assembled in early forays into human anatomy. At the end of the project, the class holds a Visible Gizmo Fair, in which all the gizmos are displayed. Each student makes a presentation and prepares a written report.