In order to wire the circuits and cover all the topics, I put the following information on the board before class started:

• V_F= Forward Voltage/ Voltage Drop.
  The minimum amount of voltage needed to light an LED

• l_V= Luminous Intensity
  The amount of light emitted from an LED in a particular direction.
  The greater the numbers the brighter the light.

• I_F= Forward Current
  The amount of current the LED uses.

• Viewing Angle
  The distribution or spread of light.

And the following diagram:

Again, all materials were either distributed or placed on the floor in the middle of the group. Students worked together and everyone wired the first circuit using alligator clips, the second circuit using the 12VDC power supply and the third and fourth which wired the LEDs in series and then in parallel. In order to demonstrate the different voltage drops, the class experimented with different colored LEDs.

Flashing LEDs were thrown into the mix because they’re cool.

Today’s class was the last of the day and when it was over, some students stayed late to chat and help clean up.

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