← Back to course
Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 06 / Friday
5/6
Week 06 · Power and heat

Friday

The power and heat checklist
// From the wall to the warm little fan
⏱ about 15 min

Friday: The power and heat checklist

Rocket tapes a new checklist to the Fix-It Bay wall. "Power and heat, all in one place!" he says.

Raven reads it over. "What do you notice? Half the steps say look, and half say ask a grown-up."

Nova glows a steady green. "Would you like a hint? A good technician knows which half is theirs." The three neighbors from this week stop by to say thanks.

The week in one checklist

This week you followed electricity from the wall to the parts. Then you followed heat into the air.

A power supply makes wall electricity gentle. A battery stores energy and is filled by a charger.

Working parts make heat. The processor makes the most. Fans and vents carry the heat away.

Kids look, notice and name the problem. Grown-ups handle plugs, chargers, batteries and cleaning.

  1. Notice: will it turn on? Is the charge low? Is it hot or loud?
  2. Look: is the charger light on? Are the vents clear? Is it on a soft surface?
  3. Test one safe thing: close apps, move it to a table, let it rest.
  4. Ask: a grown-up handles the charger, the battery and any cleaning.
WEEK REVIEW
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A laptop will not turn on and the charger light is off. What is the first clue?
A tablet is hot and slow on a pillow. What should you do first?
A battery is swollen and hot. What should you do?
Which of these is a kid job?

Two lists to remember

Kids mayKids never
Read the charge percentPlug in or unplug at the wall
Look for the charger lightOpen, swap or poke a battery
Move a device to a hard surfaceCover vents or poke them
Close apps and let it restUse liquids or open a case
StatementTrue or false?
A power supply makes wall electricity gentle for the parts.?
A battery holds more after years of use.?
The processor makes the most heat.?
A kid may clean a dusty vent.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThese four facts are the heart of the week. The may and never lists keep everyone safe.
What stores energy so a laptop can run unplugged?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe battery is the store of energy. Reading its percent is a safe kid check.
PUT THE PATH OF HEAT IN ORDER
  • ?Electricity flows through the processor
  • ?Some energy turns into heat
  • ?Metal soaks up the heat
  • ?The fan moves air across the metal
  • ?Warm air leaves through a vent
WHY THIS EXERCISEHeat always travels this path. If any step is blocked, the device gets hot and slow.
Try it
Copy the kids may list onto a card.
Put it near where your family uses devices.
Read it to a grown-up and ask them to add one rule.
The brick that makes wall electricity gentle is a power
A battery is filled by a
Fans and vents carry away
If a device is too hot or a battery is swollen, tell a

Week six is complete, Crew Technician! You know where power comes from, why devices get warm and which jobs are yours. Next week you will meet the software that brings the hardware to life.

← Thursday