Infrared Investigations

Student Worksheet: Engineering Research

You are a team of engineers who have been given the challenge of testing infrared technology to understand its limitations and devise a plan to operate a television from around a corner or in another room.  

 Research and Prediction Phase

1. Review the various Student Reference Sheets to learn about infrared and its applications.
2. Working as a team of "engineers," discuss and make predictions about how different materials will impact the infrared. What would happen if you tried to bounce the infrared off of paper, foil or other materials to see if it still controls the television? 

Material	White Paper	Black Paper	Flat Foil 	Crumpled Foil	Plastic Wrap	Your hand	CD	
Prediction

								
Material	Glass of Water	Glass of Milk	Glass of Colored Water	Black Electrical Tape	Other	Other	Other	
Prediction

								

      Infrared Investigations

Student Worksheet: Engineering Research
 (continued)

 Testing Phase

1. Test your teams' predictions about interference or extension of infrared by bouncing the infrared off of paper, foil or other materials to see if it still controls the television. Also test the effect of using a flashlight at a 90 degree angle and parallel with the beam to the television.  Note your results below:

Material	White Paper	Black Paper	Flat Foil 	Crumpled Foil	Plastic Wrap	Your hand	CD	
Results

								
Material	Glass of Water	Glass of Milk	Glass of Colored Water	Black Electrical Tape	Other	Other	Other	
Results

								

Notes:

      Infrared Investigations

Student Worksheet: Evaluation

 Use this worksheet to evaluate your team's results:

1. What result surprised your team the most?  Why?

2. Based on your research, if your engineering team was considering using infrared to control an underwater system, would you agree to incorporate infrared? Why? Why not?

What about in space?  Why? Why not?

3. Why do you think engineers need to test components they are considering to incorporate in a new product or system?

4. Can you think of any other applications for which your engineering team thinks infrared controllers might be useful?

      Infrared Investigations

Student Worksheet: Engineering Challenge

You are a team of engineers who have been given the challenge to devise a plan to operate a television from an infrared remote control that is around a corner or in another room.  

 Team Planning

1. Consider the results of your research and in the box below, devise a plan that you think will solve the engineering challenge.  Make sure to make a list of all the materials you will require.

	
Materials You Need:

	

      Infrared Investigations

Student Worksheet: Engineering Challenge (continued)

 Testing Phase

1. Gather the equipment you predicted you would need, and test your teams' plan.

 Evaluate and Reflect

1. Did your plan work?  If not, why not?

2. Did you find you needed to make changes to your plan in the testing phase? (either by changing the placement of items, or adding or removing materials?)  If so, how did you need to change your plan to achieve your goal?

3. What systems that other team's developed did you think were particularly clever?  Why?

4. Can you think of an application where a controller might need to be in a different room than the equipment it controls?

5. Meet as a team and consider what you'd like to see the next generation of remote controls be able to do.  What engineering enhancements would be needed to make your ideas a reality?