The Medium is the Message (MDM)

Telecommunication provides the context for this chapter which tackles the physics involved in sensing, sending and displaying information.

The photograph shows a student using a potentiometer circuit to monitor position of a model wing flap.

A consideration of optical fibres explores how different types of optical fibre can reduce the effects of dispersion, and the exponential nature of attenuation.

The production of images with charge coupled devices (CCDs) is modelled with solar cells and capacitors, providing opportunities to study their effects and behaviour.

Finally the cathode ray tube (CRT), light emitting diode (LED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) involve students in work on thermionic emission, the acceleration of electrons, electric field and potential, and the behaviour of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields. They also consider the power demands of various types of display.

The main physics content areas are:

Capacitors: energy
Alternating current and rms values
Fibre optics: refraction; exponential attenuation
Uniform electric field
Charged particles in a magnetic field