Children's Literature

Read pages 24 and 25, describing a liquid crystal display television, in Cool Stuff and How It Works, by Chris Woodford and others, to the students. An overhead of these two pages might also be helpful. Have the students demonstrate the making of different colors by mixing red, blue and green light in varying combinations, and use this to explain to others how subpixels function in an LCD television. See how many new uses students can think of for liquid crystal displays. (The text mentions their use to replace blinds or curtains.)

Mathematics

Have students "research" their television sets. If they don't know the size of their television set, they can ask their parents. They can then proceed to measure the dimensions of their screens to see if they can discover how television sets are measured. Alternatively, school television sets can be measured for this purpose so that students discover that television sets are measured along the diagonal. They can then go a Web site such as http://www.cavecreations.com/tv2.cgi and use its calculator to see the difference in viewing area on a standard television set or a widescreen set. Share with students how ratio and proportion are used in measuring television, specifically the 4:3 standard television versus the 16:9 widescreen. What do those numbers mean? CNET has a good explanation. In addition, CNET provides charts for viewing distances. Have students compare the difference in viewing distances, and determine the appropriate size television set for rooms of different dimensions

Technology

We have a unique love affair with our television sets. Weekly, more hours are spent viewing television programs than any other activity. The history of television shows us that bigger and better models are constantly being brought to the consumer. Decisions for purchasing a TV are more complex than ever. How big a TV does a family need? What picture quality is necessary to satisfy a sports fan? How much resolution do I need to comfortably watch my favorite programs? Do I need an LCD or HDTV, or can I combine these technologies? One thing is for sure, gone are the days of the vacuum tube!

For this project, have your students develop a historical timeline of television sets and technology. They should use pictures from catalogs and those downloaded from the Web. Use poster board to glue the elements in place. Several boards might be used to separate different eras of television technology. Display the boards for all to see Compare early models with contemporary technology.