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STRAND FOur: Physical world STRAND element: Systems and interactions Main Learning Outcome = 4 Students should be able to ‘research and discuss a technological application of physics in terms of scientific, societal and environmental impact’. Background Information: A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power. It is composed of semiconductor material, usually with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be higher than the controlling (input) power, a transistor can amplify a signal. The transistor is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices. It was invented in 1947 by American physicists John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. The transistor revolutionized the field of electronics, and paved the way for smaller and cheaper radios, calculators, and computers, among other things. The transistor is on the list of IEEE milestones in electronics, and Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for their achievement. Radio has the power to give farmers in developing countries the information they need to make their land more productive and raise livestock more effectively. Radio is still the primary communication tool in Africa, reaching between 70%-90% of people across sub- Saharan Africa, making broadcasting the most effective way of conveying vital information. Established in 1979, Farm Radio International (link below) is an initiative that operates across 38 African countries, and serves the interests of small-scale farmers and their communities. Kibaale Kagadi Community Radio (KKCR) is one of the 560 radio station partners involved in Farm Radio International. KKCR airs programmes that provide information to farmers about availability and access to seed, field preparation and planting a strain of maize called Longe 5. Longe 5 is a nutritious climate smart crop that can improve farming incomes and the health of farming communities. Freeplay Energy (link below) is a company that produces sturdy solar/dynamo-powered radios for communities living off the power grid in rural locations. These radios mean farmers can access information without mains power supplies or costly/polluting disposable batteries. Thinking about Global Goals: By 2030 … Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation (Goal 9) Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development (Goal 17) 18
Teaching and learning activities: Radio Africa Review a programme broadcast on an African radio station or an Irish radio programme about subsistence farming in Ethiopia and Malawi (links below). Links to Nature of science: LOs 6, 8 & 10 Recording Impact Carry out more research about the role of radio in communicating information to small-scale farming communities in the developing countries. Role play an interview between a group of farmers in Uganda and a KKCR radio presenter. The interview should focus on the impact of radio broadcasts on families in the community and on the local environment. Use a free online voice recorder, like Vocaroo, to record and share the role play with a wider audience. Links to Nature of science: LOs 6, 7, 9 & 10 Intercom Imagination Air an advert about solar/dynamo powered radios on your school intercom. The advert should include a short explanation about the physics of these types of radios and a callout to listeners to take some time to imagine the environmental impact if everyone in the world used these radios. Links to Nature of science: LO 7 & 10 Useful Links: • PBS ‘Transistorized!,’ website on the science and history of the transistor, includes instructions about how to recreate the first transistor: pbs.org/transistor/ • PBS History Detectives (2012), ‘Early transistor radio’: pbs.org/video/2285052239/ (video –12.34 mins) Radio Africa • Download an African radio station app at: tunein.com/radio/Africa-r101215/ • Fergal Keane (2011), ‘One World: The future of food’, RTE 1 Documentary on One: rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2011/0802/646852-radio-documentary-one-world-ethiopia-malawi-food/ ( radio documentary–51.05 mins) Recording impact • Farm Radio International: farmradio.org • Lifeline Energy – a not-for-profit organization that runs solar/dynamo radio projects in sub-Saharan Africa: lifelineenergy.org/ • Free online voice recording apps: vocaroo.com; voicespice.com Intercom Imagination • Freeplay Energy: freeplayenergy.com 19
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