Sunstone said:
My school didn't participate in science fairs, and we were given no information on them. I was in college before I even heard of such things as science fairs for primary and secondary education kids.
Nevertheless, I had a basement chemistry and electricity lab as a kid. Eventually, the main product of the lab became gunpowder and research into various kinds of fuses and detonation mechanisms. Nitro was dreamed of, but proved beyond the lab's funding and capablities. The lab's products were used, mainly around Holloween, by a covert organization of young boys and girls that called itself, "Trick Incorporated". The aquisition of candy was not the goal of Trick Incorporated. The rattling of certain (not all) teacher's nerves was the decided upon goal.
One year, in the town newspaper, we were delghted to read that the police chief of the small town we all lived in had become alarmed at the "rising rates of juvenile delinquency around Holloween", and "the frequent explosions", and had laid on hastily deputized help. But it seems no one figured out Trick Incorporated was using delayed fuses that allowed its members to be long gone before the fireworks began. :run:
Actually, You have reminded me of a project I took on when I was sixteen or so, in the Garden shed.
AND NO,it wasn't
that sort of project! How dare you think such a thing; you should be ashamed......................
I was ineterested in Electronics (yes, we had Transistors), but they were very new, and we all thought it was much better to stick to valves (apart from anything they kept you a damn site warmer in the Garden shed!
I had an electronics magazine in which there was a diagram for a small low powered transmitter. I went out and bought all the part I needed, and set to making this thing work.
It was a bit hit and miss, because the 'tuning pots' (you know those things with a farrite rod in them that you can adjust, and they are surrounded by a coil); well, for one, the coil was handwound, by yours truly (I wa cutting corners to keep the cost withing the range of my pocket money).
Anyway, I digress. I had this weird looking construction (and not on a chassis either 9just sort of "Hanging in the air", when I decided to try it.
Of course, the main problem was "On which wavelength am I transmitting?".........so I had a radio beside me, and I manually scanned the airways while at the same time shouting "Hello, Hello, can you hear me!" down the mike. Not a peep out ofg the radio.
But I thought I could hear my father shouting. puzzled, I went outside, to find him leaning out of the lounge window asking why the television screen was going completely blank, and why could he hear me saying "Hello, Hello"
Of course, i dismantled the thing (I would have needed to pass an exam , and have a licence), but, during the next week, the road was suddenly full of telephone company vans, with little guys at the top of all the telephone poles........they were there for ages....................:sorry1:
i bet that kid's parents helped him and if not he very would be very likely to be the person to find a cure for cancer or start an apocolipse like in resedent evil. you never know. It depends on how he uses his mind.
