Just as I was about to crack a joke about how we should all whip out our ping-pong paddles, the ping-pong ball look-a-like began to emit an irking sound. Little did we know, the white ball contained a circuit system, batteries, a sound generator and a small, red light bulb. When a conductor (ex, hands, metal tip of scissors, etc.) touched both of the metal strips on the ball, a one-pitch sound was emitted, along with a bright, red light.
After tossing around some ideas within our small groups, the whole class was given a challenge. If we were able to complete the challenge, our prize would be going to the "A.Y. Jackson Multicultural Lunar Festival." As Mr. Chung caught onto the looks we were throwing at each other, he quickly amended that we would go regardless of the situation. What a loss.
Within a big circle, we quickly discovered the meaning of a series circuit; if any one of us were to stop touching pinkies, the circuit would break, and the balls would no longer make the sound and light up. When we put a line of students in the middle of our circle, and depending on who stopped touching each other, we discovered the meaning of parallel circuits. I felt a sense of accomplishment and power that out physics class could control which ball reacted, and which didn't.
I really appreciated that we didn't have to learn this out of the textbook, but rather by having an in-class activity. This experiment was an ample way to start our semester together.
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