My book “Snowball Launchers, Giant Pumpkin Growers and other COOL CONTRAPTIONS” has a project on making my Sidewinder Thingamajig. What does the gizmo do? Well, briefly it detects shortwave infrared waves! Shortwave infrared waves are used by most remote control units (also referred to as “thingies”) One purpose of the Sidewinder Thingamajig is to check if the remote control is working. If it is and it is pointed at the thingamajig, a red LED will light. Why is it called Sidewinder Thingamajig? Well, the Sidewinder Rattler detects its prey by sensing the infrared radiation all warm blooded animals give off. One caveat in my projects name: the Sidewinder Rattler is more sensitive to long wave infrared radiation and not as sensitive to shorter wavelength, which is the type the Sidewinder Thingamajig is most sensitive to. Another device is also called a Sidewinder–it is the Sidewinder missile which is used to tract down and destroy jet airplanes. Jet engines produces lots of heat which produces lots of infrared radiation. The Sidewinder missile enters the exhaust pipe of the engine and blows the engine up. Flares are used as a defense measure to confuse the missile’s electronic systems. By the way, the Sidewinder Thingamajig might just make a great starting point for a Science Fair project!
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About Me
I have been involved in lateral thinking most of my life. While lateral thinking is sometimes referred to as "thinking outside the box" it does differ in several subtle respects. I became interested in the electronics field when I was in 6th grade and received my Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. I have written and have had published numerous articles, especially in the electronics field, and two electronic related books. I also have written a juvenile science/craft book on making cool contraptions. As you may expect from a lateral thinker, I am multifaceted in my interests. In addition to my electronic design background, I am the Workshop Editor for Boys' Quest and Fun For Kidz magazines and own and operate Magicland Farms where, along with my wife and 6 children, grow, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on our 65 acre farm. You can find out more about me by reading my blog posts and visiting my two websites: www.magiclandelectronics.com and www.magiclandfarms.com.
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