Mid Atlantic Amateur Radio Club to host Marconi Challenge at local library
The Marconi Challenge is a K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) outreach program that incorporates wireless data communication and is suitable for students from junior high school to college. The Marconi Challenge was originally conceived to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi’s transatlantic wireless transmission.
In 1901 Marconi succeeded in transmitting a radio signal across the Atlantic Ocean. The wavelength of the transmitted signal was approximately 1500 meters, and input power was measured in kilowatts. In contrast, the Marconi Challenge requires that junior high school students experiment with the transmission of an infrared (IR) light signal at a wavelength of 940 nanometers and power measured in milliwatts.
The Marconi Challenge offers unique opportunities for experimentation and learning for junior high school students. IR digital data communication is used to provide an educational experience in electronics, the use of semaphores to represent information, and the optical transmission and reception of IR light.
MARC will host a Marconi Challenge for 20 registered 10 to 14 year old students at the Newtown Township Library, where our meetings are held, on Saturday, November 12th from 1 to 4 PM. You are all invited to stop by and see the hands-on activity. For further information contact Dennis, K3DS at marc-radio.org.