1. Are the objective and introduction written in an engaging way? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 2. Is the difficulty level accurate? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 3. Were the materials easily obtained? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 4. Was the procedure clear? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 5. Were all safety measures included? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 6. Did you obtain clear, unambiguous results? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 7. How much time did you spend on the project? Choose One... A day or less Several days About one week A couple weeks Several weeks to months 8. How much did the project cost? Choose One... Less than $20 $20 - $50 $50 - $100 $100 - $150 $150+ Optional:  Do you have any suggestions to improve this project? characters left Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! * Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk. Abstract Here's a puzzle you may have heard before which you can build as a simple electric circuit. First, the puzzle: a farmer is traveling to market with his cat, a chicken and some corn. He has to cross a river, and the only way to cross is in a small boat which can hold the farmer and just one of the three items he has with him. The problem is, he has to be very careful about what he chooses to leave behind at any time. If the cat and chicken are left alone, the cat will eat the chicken. If the chicken and the corn are left alone, the chicken will eat the corn. To solve the puzzle, you must show how the farmer can get himself and his three items across the river without losing any of them. The goal of this project is to design a simple electrical circuit that follows the puzzle. You'll need a 6 V battery, a flashlight bulb, a bulb holder, some connecting wire, and four toggle switches: 3 SPDT (single-pole, double throw) and 1 DPDT (double-pole, double throw). Each switch represents one of the items: the farmer, the cat, the chicken and the corn (you have to figure out which need to be SPDT switches and which one needs to be a DPDT switch). The switches are mounted on a small panel, in a horizontal row (representing the river, which you can draw in). Each switch is labeled ("Farmer", "Cat", "Chicken", "Corn"). The circuit is to be designed so that if either of the problematic pairs (cat-chicken, or chicken-corn) are left alone on the same side of the river, the light bulb lights up, indicating an incorrect solution (you can add a 6 V buzzer, too, if you like). Since the boat can hold only two items, players can use only two switches per "move". Irwin Math's book, Wires and Watts: Understanding and Using Electricity has the solution (Math, 1981, 67–70), but see if you can figure this one out on your own. Bibliography Math, I., 1981. Wires and Watts: Understanding and Using Electricity. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. Shop for Supplies at Science Buddies Online Store Science Buddies has compiled some suggestions for harder to find items in our Amazon store. The store does not include every item for every project, but it does include items that we feel work for the projects on our website. If you have comments or would like us to add items to the store, please contact us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org. Variations For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Electricity & Electronics Project Ideas. Last edit date: 2006-12-26 13:21:24

I Did This Project! Tell us about your experience with this science project. What was the most important thing you learned? characters left What problems did you encounter? (Enter "none" if you had none.) characters left Can you suggest any improvements or ideas? (Enter "no" if you have none.) characters left How do you rate this project? Poor OK Good Very Good Excellent Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! Related Links Science Fair Project Guide Project Summary Difficulty  6  Time required Average (about one week) Share this Project Idea! Donate to Science Buddies Motorola Solutions Foundation sponsors Summer Science Camp Resource Summer Science Camp Resource Remembering Chuck Moore 1961-2012 www.sciencebuddies.org

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring related careers.

	Electrician Electricians are the people who bring electricity to our homes, schools, businesses, public spaces, and streets—lighting up our world, keeping the indoor temperature comfortable, and powering TVs, computers, and all sorts of machines that make life better. Electricians install and maintain the wiring and equipment that carries electricity, and they also fix electrical machines.			Electrical & Electronics Engineer Just as a potter forms clay, or a steel worker molds molten steel, electrical and electronics engineers gather and shape electricity and use it to make products that transmit power or transmit information. Electrical and electronics engineers may specialize in one of the millions of products that make or use electricity, like cell phones, electric motors, microwaves, medical instruments, airline navigation system, or handheld games.
	Industrial Engineer You’ve probably heard the expression “build a better mousetrap.” Industrial engineers are the people who figure out how to do things better. They find ways that are smarter, faster, safer, and easier, so that companies become more efficient, productive, and profitable, and employees have work environments that are safer and more rewarding. You might think from their name that industrial engineers just work for big manufacturing companies, but they are employed in a wide range of industries, including the service, entertainment, shipping, and healthcare fields. For example, nobody likes to wait in a long line to get on a roller coaster ride, or to get admitted to the hospital. Industrial engineers tell companies how to shorten these processes. They try to make life and products better—finding ways to do more with less is their motto.

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