This light source works by switching on the switch and then turning the switch off to turn off the light. The electrons of the CR2032 watch battery flow out of the battery’s negative terminal, through the bulb, and back into the positive side of the battery to make the LED light up. Some areas of success during this project were that I found a solution whenever it did not go as planned; for example, when there wasn’t any voltage, I clipped off the connection between the copper wire and that created voltage, and when the LED did not turn on I tried a different LED light, and it worked. Reflecting back on this project, I could improve the size of the light. I should have used a more prominent light source to create a brighter light and prepared the primary materials beforehand so that I didn’t encounter the challenges of finding materials in the middle of the project. The impact on the environment would reduce plastic pollution since I am reusing a jug/jar that would be thrown away. I am reusing plastic that could potentially end up in landfills or oceans. The potential owner of this light is my parents, specifically my mother, who likes to look at her phone before she sleeps at night, and this light could help prevent her eyesight from becoming worse.

I have started creating my light source by molding the copper wire into a “U” shape (look at the images below) and soldering the wire to both sides of the battery holder to attach the battery holder and the wire. Then I inserted the CR2032 watch battery into the battery holder; fortunately, it fitted; however, the battery would not stay inside the battery holder. So I had to use a minimalistic amount of tape to hold the battery inside the battery holder. Before I moved any further with my design, I had to check if there were any voltage to allow my design to create any sort of light. Unfortunately, there was no voltage, and I had to think of a solution. After rethinking why there wasn’t any voltage, Mr. Hussack suggested cutting the copper wire at the bottom of the battery holder, disconnecting the copper wire., surprisingly there was the voltage after cutting the wire in half.

Since there is voltage, I continued with my design by attaching a switch to one side of the copper wire. I cut one side of the wire into half, soldered the wire to one metal piece of the switch, and soldered the copper wire that was cut off to the other metal piece of the switch. Then I twisted the longer leg of the LED to the side where the switch is and the other leg to the other side of the copper wire, but the light did not turn on even if I turned the switch on. So I decided to try the same thing with a different LED light in case the other one had issues. When I attached the other LED light, it lit up! After I saw the light lit up, I soldered the legs of the LED to the copper wire to make it remain there.

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To finalize my design, I attached my light source to the lid of a jar/jug by using hot glue. I ran into some challenges finding a jar, so I used a jug, which worked just as well. Then I turned on the switch and closed the lid of the jug. Under the light, I could not tell how bright the light was under the light, so I went to a darker place to test out how bright the light was. Unexpectedly it was pretty bright.

The light successfully worked, but I decided to decorate the jug after getting feedback from peers who said that the jug looked dull and could be decorated. I used thin lavender paper and wrapped the jug with it, and that is how I made my light/lamp!

The following image is a blueprint/ diagram of what my light source/ lamp will look like.

I will need to learn the general process of creating this light, but a specific skill I would need to know is soldering. I will remember the skill of asking an expert, meaning a supervisor at the design lab. I will ask clarifying questions to better understand what is needed to function my design and why it works this way. A rough plan of what I will do within the five classes is I will inquire and polish my blueprint in the first class and ask if the materials I need are available. I will collect the materials I need to create my lamp in the second class. In the third class, I will start building my light and put in the battery to see if it works, and if it doesn’t, I will try to think of an alternative to making the LED light up. In the fourth class, I will glue the light, if it works, to the lid of the jar and ask for feedback from peers and teachers. In the fifth class, I will polish my design with my feedback. That is the goal of each class for me.

The main idea of his project is for students to show the transfer of energy through their own unique designs. The light source I plan to create is an example of the transfer of energy from electrical energy to light energy. What I like about the images above is how it is super convenient in our modern society. I also like how portable and straightforward the light I plan to create is. However, I am not entirely sure if the light I will be creating is going to be bright enough to provide a solid light source. My engineering project is to create light for anyone who needs a small light source, especially at night. Specifically, this is for my mom, who needs a small light in her room at night when she does not want to turn on the larger lights in the room that are way too bright. The Pros of the types of light sources I want to create are the simplicity of the lights. The creation process is not super advanced either, as I plan to connect the LED light to a battery. On the contrary, the Cons of the lights I am planning to create are that I’m not sure how long they will last and my lack of knowledge on how these light sources work.