ARM THE CITY

Objective: D
​ esign an alarm system that is effective, practical and realistic a chosen building.

Standards:
● Students know how to predict the voltage or current in simple direct current electric circuits constructed from
batteries, wires, resistors, and capacitors.
● Students know how to solve problems involving Ohm’s law

Part I - Build Alarm

Your group must design an alarm system for the chosen building of a city. Your alarm system must include t​ wo​ of the
following options:
● Sound (the buzzer) (acts as a resistor that needs 1.0 A of current to be audible and has 25 Ohms of resistance)
● Light (LED) (needs at least 1.5 A of current to light up and has 10 Ohms of resistance)
● Combination (both buzzer & LED)
Constraints: T​ he alarm must work in PHET circuit construction. You’re working with a 120V battery (equivalent to the power
grid) and the max current pulling from the battery is 10.0 A before you would blow a fuse. You will have a plethora of
resistors to work with in order to optimize your system.

Part II - Diagram and Reasoning (this is how I grade majority of it)

1. Create a circuit diagram of your alarm system using the appropriate symbols in PhET Simulation. Share a screenshot
of your circuit from PhET.
2. Sketch a blueprint of your building and mark where the parts of the circuit are located. Overlay your circuit diagram
onto your blueprint. This will not be done in PhET.
3. Explain how your alarm system works—include descriptions of the roles of each element.
4. Explain why the location for your alarm was practical and effective.

Part III – Calculations

This part is due with your report. D
​ etermine voltage, current and resistance across the different elements in your alarm system.
This will vary depending on what elements you use and how you use them.

Possible Building Choices

● House/Apartment ● Fire Station
● School ● Police Station
● Bank ● Prison
● Supermarket Store ● Museum
● Dormitory ● Hotel
● Hospital ● Airport
● Restaurant ● Post Office
● Movie Theater ● Gamestop (TO THE MOON)!
● Courthouse ● AMC movie theatre
Rubric:

Category Possible Points

Circuit Diagram /10

Building Blueprint /5

Meets specifications /5

Explanation of alarm function /5

Explanation of alarm practicality and effectiveness /5

Calculations: All voltage drops for every resistor and battery /5

Calculations: All currents for every resistor and battery /5

Calculations: Equivalent resistance of Total Circuit /5

Quality /5

Mooch penalty or star worker bonus varies

Total /50