Here is a copy of the notes I uploaded into GLOW last year…for the diagrams, you need to access it from GLOW or DM me on twitter with your email address….

 

NINTENDO WII AND S1 SCIENCE – LIGHT AND SOUND TOPIC

 

 

 

This topic is a (current) part of the S1/2 5-14 science course. Light is usually first covered in P7 to level d and then extended through levels e and f in secondary. The electro-magnetic spectrum is a part of this topic. Here is an explanation of the first ‘hook’ for using the WII to teach this….

The sensor bar emits infrared light which the Wiimote picks up and “triangulates” to measure change in position, etc.

For those of you who aren’t trained in physics – light comes in electromagnetic waves. The visible light we see has a wavelength of between 400nm and 700nm. When the wavelength is longer than red (which has a wavelength of 700nm), it is known as infrared.

 

We can’t see infrared because it is beyond the spectrum our eyes can sense, but we can sometimes feel it as heat. TV remote controls use infrared.

This introduces a discussion on visible light and the colours of the spectrum. A darkened room ready for the WII is a good place to split up white light with a prism to demonstrate the colours of the spectrum (the ‘Rainbow’ effect)

So…. We have the WII using light (or at least electro-magnetic waves!) to work. The different wavelengths of the colours of light can be introduced (Red is 700nm) and the fact that light travels in straight lines unless refracted (bent) or reflected by a mirror. The kids could try to work the WII around corners (it won’t work!) or by reflecting the infra-red using a big mirror (difficult because they can’t see infra-red light – but some Snakes such as Pit Vipers and Rattlesnakes can …could this be a rich task!). Interestingly, Chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants reflects infra-red light, so the pupils could try using big leaves to reflect the infra-red WII waves onto the Wiimote from the sensor and see how long they could play it for!

NASA provide a great easy-to-understand info sheet on Infra-red light waves….

http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/infrared.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOUND can also be taught using the Wii (or Xbox) using ‘Guitar Hero’. Here’s the physics…

Sound travels in waves just like light. It has different frequencies, again just like light (high frequency waves are tightly packed together and low frequency waves are more spread out). This teaches about the properties of waves again and shows the kids what a wave of light or sound looks like…

 

High frequency waves have a high ‘pitch’ (the higher notes) and low frequency waves have a low ‘pitch’ (the lower notes).

 

You can demonstrate this by using guitar hero, with a song the kids know, and spread them out in a room or hall with some hiding around corners or under objects! The High frequency waves will bounce off walls and objects, staying in straight lines. The low frequency waves can ‘spread’ themselves around and under objects because they are more loosely packed together. You can only hear high frequency (and thus high notes) when you are near to the source of the sound, but you can hear low frequency notes around corners and through doors etc…

Volume of sound is measured in decibels. A sound meter will record this. Amplitude of a wave is the sound – the bigger the amplitude, the louder the sound!

 

 

 

 

The Wii can be used to demonstrate this as well (beware – over 85 decibels (dB) is dangerous. How low can the Wii sound go so that you can still hear it?

 

ACTIVITIES….

 

 

Here are some noise levels – measure the decibels possible for different songs on the Wii and add them to this diagram…

 

Where would ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ or ‘Crazy Crazy nights’ come and what about quieter songs?

 

What about the guitar solo’s?

 

Find out who is the loudest guitarist in music and their decibel measurements?  (I go for Leslie West of Mountain, Tony Iommi or Ritchie Blackmore!)

 

Who were the loudest ever recorded band indoors (Motorhead at Stafford Bingley hall in ’80 – I was there!) and outdoors (Deep Purple Mk3 at the California Jam in ’73).

 

 

How far will sound travel at different decibels?

 

Sketch what the amplitudes of different songs might look like.

 

Sketch rough diagrams of what the frequency diagrams of different songs or their solos might look like.