From: Frederick Logan (frloganjr@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Sep 28 2004 - 22:40:50 PDT
From: "Frederick Logan" <frloganjr@hotmail.com> Subject: Black Box Activity Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 22:40:50 -0700 Message-ID: <BAY18-F5Y55ZodTWaSO0000c887@hotmail.com>
Greetings fellow educators,
While looking for some introductory activities in my 7th grade life science
class, I came across the following web page:
http://biology.wsc.ma.edu/biology/courses/hoag/humbio/labs/science/blackbox/
On the web page, a person described a black box demonstration that involved
a large box with an opening on the top with three opening on the bottom. It
seemed really interesting and more advanced than the black box activity
developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science (FOSS Kit).
This is the description given of the box and the activity taken directly
from the web site:
“The following is a description of a "black box" that I saw at a conference.
I wasn't able to get it, or build a copy. So, for the time being, this
description will have to suffice.
Outside appearance:
The box happened to be an off-white, sort of beige color, as opposed to
"black." It stood about 30 cm high, was approximately 50 cm wide and 30 cm
deep. Located in the center on the top was a small, chimney-like opening,
about 2 cm x 2 cm. On the front at the bottom were three openings similar to
the opening on the top. These were numbered 1, 2, 3, from left to right.
Nothing could really be seen inside the openings - it was mostly just dark.
And there were no other openings or appendages to the box of any kind - no
levers or switches on any side, no electrical cords, nothing. (See Figure
1.)
Operation:
The person demonstrating the operation of the box had two containers of
balls (about the size of large gumballs), one filled with black ones, the
other with white. First a black ball was dropped into the opening on top of
the box. After about 3-5 seconds, a white ball came out of the #1 opening on
the front. Next, a white ball was dropped in the top. A black ball came out
of opening #2. Throughout the time of the demonstration, whenever a white
ball was put in, a black one would come out. And whenever a black ball was
put in, a white one would come out. All the balls, regardless of color,
always came out first chute 1, then chute 2, then chute 3, and then back to
chute 1, and so forth. The order was always 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 and always the
emerging ball was the opposite color of the one most recently dropped into
the top of the box.”
If any of you have an idea of who developed this activity and/or knows how
to build the box, please send me an email. I have spoken with several
teachers at my sight, and they would all like to use this activity in their
class as soon as I am able to figure out how to construct the inside of the
box. Included with this message is an attachment that has the original
sketch of the outside of the box.
I thank you for any help you are able to provide.
Frederick R. Logan
7th Grade Life Science Teacher
Montera Middle School
frloganjr@hotmail.com or frloganjr@yahoo.com
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