Unit 1 Lesson 2
Name(s) Richard Hanna Sara Kaufman Period 3 Date 9-10-19
Activity Guide - Binary Message Devices
Scenario: You are going to build a device out of classroom supplies to send information to a classmate
on the other side of the room. There are some basic rules and constraints:
● Stay on your side. You may not walk to the other side of the room.
● No language. That means no writing or talking to communicate.
● No projectiles!
Challenge 1: Simple Binary Message (state A or B)
Time Limit: 5 mins
● Choose the binary question your device will be used to answer.
● Create a device using classroom items to send a simple binary message - state A or B.
● Try to make it fail-proof. Consider a few obstacles. Would it still work if…
○ There was something in between you and your partner?
○ You couldn’t see your partner?
○ You were in a loud room?
○ Your partner wasn’t paying attention?
Record how to use your device to send a state A / B in the table below
Your Binary Question: Do you prefer fruits or vegetables?
Message How to send with your device
A:
Vegetables Light off
B: Fruits Light on
Check-in with the Teacher
● Demonstrate the messaging systems
● Record this information about your device in your journal/blog using a table similar to the example
above.
● Your teacher may use the rubric t o assess your device.
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Challenge 2: Complex Messages (4 possible messages)
Time Limit: 5 mins
Not all questions have only two possible answers. Your new challenge is to invent a way to use your
device to send an answer to a question that has 4 possible answers! Think about these things:
● Should you modify your device?
● Should you use it in a different way?
● Should you make a new device entirely?
You’ve got 5 minutes! GO!
After you’ve done some testing, make a note below about how to use your device to send 4 possible
messages. (enough that another person could pick up your device and use it).
Question: Are you a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior?
Message How to send with your device
Freshman Light off; spider cup
Sophomore Light on; spider cup
Junior Light off; skull cup bell
Senior Light on; skull cup bell
Challenge 3: Complex Messages (8 possible messages)
Time Limit: 5 mins
What if you wanted to ask an even more complex question with 8 possible answers?
Just as before update your device and test it out. Record how to use your device in the table below.
Question: Do you prefer red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, or white?
Message How to send with your device
red Purple cup light off
orange Purple cup light on
yellow Yellow cup light off
green Yellow cup light on
blue Black cup light off and bells
purple Black cup light on and bells
black Purple spider cup light on
white Purple spider cup light off
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Challenge 4: Complex Messages (16 - n possible messages)
Time Limit: 5 mins
Could we keep increasing the number of messages forever? Could our devices be used for questions
with 16, 32, or 1,000,000 possible responses? Some things to think about...
● Our alphabet only has 26-letters, yet we can spell many words
● Our number system only has 10 digits yet we can represent many numbers
● Think back to your simple two-state device. Could you simply use it differently, rather than
modifying it?
Discuss with your partner
● How could you use your device to respond to much more complex questions (for example one
with 1,000 possible responses).
○ We could start flickering the lights
○ We could hit the cups on the table
● Use the space below to describe the system you develop in such a way that another group
could pick up your device and use it to send messages this way.
○ A whiteboard eraser (connected to a string held by the other member -- it is not a
projectile) is thrown to capture the other person’s attention
○ Each cup color/type is assigned two or more possibilities
■ The candle inside the cup is either on or off
■ The candle light can be flickered
■ The cup can be hit on the table
Class Discussion
Follow your teacher’s instructions for presenting your work to the class. You might need to:
● Describe how your system works
● Provide a simple example of your system
● Do a live demonstration of your system being used
