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AI Explorers 3-5 / Week 03 / Explorer Quest
6/6
Week 03 · Pictures as Numbers

Explorer Quest

Explorer Quest: Pixel picture swap
// Pixels and color values
⏱ about 15 min

Explorer Quest: Pixel Picture Swap

Rocket writes a secret grid of numbers and slides it to Raven.

"Paint it and guess what it is!" he says.

Raven picks up her crayons. "What do you notice? The 1s make a pointy shape."

Nova hovers nearby. "Here is a hint," she says. "Color one row at a time."

Raven smiles. A tiny rocket appears!

  1. A digital picture is made of tiny spots of color called pixels.
  2. A screen mixes red, green and blue light for each pixel.
  3. Each red, green and blue value goes from 0 to 255.
  4. Photos are grids of numbers that can be counted and compared.
◇ PIXEL PICTURE SWAP
Each person draws a grid with 5 rows and 5 columns.
In secret, plan a simple picture. Write 1 for colored squares and 0 for blank ones.
Swap number grids, not pictures.
Color your partner's grid from the numbers.
Guess what the picture shows.
Count the colored squares together. Did you both get the same count?
For a grown-up
A 5 by 5 grid has 25 squares. Keep shapes simple: a letter, a heart or a star.
Ask: how did the numbers turn into a picture?
Ask: what happened if one number was written wrong?
QUEST CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A 5 by 5 grid has how many squares?
One number in the grid was written wrong. What happens to the picture?
What is the biggest red, green or blue value?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEach color value goes from 0 to 255.
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