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Watch the progress of the team as they put their plan into action.
Modulated Laser Workshop
Croesyceiliog School was established in the early days of Cwmbran New Town as a place of quality learning for the young people of a previous generation. The original vision of the school is maintained today.
The school is set on a large and spacious site that borders Woodland Road Park. The school is coeducational and provides education for 11-18 year olds. There are currently 1,647 pupils on roll, making it the largest school in Torfaen.
The team wanted to design an activity that enhances the understanding of many different aspects of GCSE and A-level Physics specifications clearly and simply through a single experiment that could also be used as a pupil lead demonstration of Communications and Electronic Devices.
The idea is to build a modulated laser using a very simple circuit and a laser pen. Using a jack lead the laser will be connected to the headphone output of a radio, CD player etc, and use this signal to modulate the laser. The signal will be sent across the Physics Lab to a phototransistor connected to a mini-amplifier and speaker that play music using the laser signal. As a demonstration it explains how EM waves can be used in communications, to introduce the idea of digital signals and optical fibres.
The judges commented, "This is a very hands-on practical physics project that takes a simple idea and expands on it. The proposal will make a real difference in this school and others to the understanding of the students. It also provides a real world challenge for students to use their physics knowledge."
Each of the Finalist Teams are given the support of a mentor when they begin to implement their proposal. Click here to find out about the mentors.