An Introduction to Electronics for Advanced High School Students

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was to design and teach a short introductory course on electronics to advanced high school students. While many high school science classes have well-developed hands-on exercises to complement theory from lecture, high school physics classes often lack a significant hands-on component. This thesis was designed to help remedy that problem. To that end, six lectures were developed with accompanying lab exercises. The topics covered in the lectures included diodes, transistors, logic gates, flip flops, the Hall Effect, relays, switches, and the Arduino. Each lesson was structured to have approximately twenty minutes of lecture, followed by twenty-five minutes of lab work. The lectures were designed to align with the topics covered in the AP Physics curriculum. The labs were sequenced with increasing complexity, such that each week’s lab built on the lab exercises from the previous weeks while introducing one or two new components. I arranged to teach my course to the two AP Physics classes at Princeton High School. At the time of thesis submission, I have taught five out of the six lessons. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and based on the fact that many students continue to work on their circuits long after class is over, it seems that they are enjoying the work as well. After I teach the last lesson, the students will work in small groups to complete a two week-long design project which will put together the topics they have learned. The design project is derived from the MAE412 final project; students will use the Arduino in conjunction with the electronic components they have learned about to sense, actuate, and sequence a model train set. Through this project, students will learn not just about electronics but also how to write clear project proposals and how to work effectively as a team.