Theme
What is the theme or topic to be presented?
Using muscle wire to mimic the action of applying electrical current to the severed legs of a frog by creating a circuit that moves a paper creation.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
Create a circuit using muscle wire that simulates the movement created when an electrical impulse is sent through the muscles of a living thing.
Biology Standards, Year 11:
4.6 Carry out experiment on the impact of electric power to contraction in frog’s
femur muscles to explain the process of muscle contraction in human*
Key Vocabulary:
• Circuit
• Conductor
• Insulator
• Battery
• Nervous system
• Electricity
• Electrical muscle stimulation
Ideas for Building Materials: (per student)
• 1 sheet of paper
• 40 cm of 0.006 in. HT Flexinol wire (a type of nitinol wire that contracts
when heated)
• 2 crimp beads
• 1 9V battery
• 1 9V snap battery holder
• 15 cm of . in. copper foil tape
• thin wire (such as 29 AWG 392° F High-Flex Miniature Wire)
• scotch tape
• solder
• thread
Tools:
• scissors
• wire strippers or pliers
• soldering iron
• needle
Prerequisite:
This lesson requires basic understanding of circuits. If you have not reviewed circuits with your students please do so before beginning the lesson. The papercircuits activity found here is a great place to start:
www.instructables.com/id/Paper-Circuits