Rules of the Challenge

Explore and document the inner workings of an electronic device. Your submission should use a combination of text and images to document and describe what you find inside an electronic device. We challenge you to choose a device you don’t mind breaking apart (for example, an old phone) then carefully deconstruct it to see what’s inside. Identify and research the components,try to determine what role they serve in the device’s design, and summarize your findings in a report.

Things to keep in mind for a successful submission:

• For safety purposes, make sure the device you choose is approved by your coach, mentor, or parent as appropriate

• Extreme caution should be used with capacitors, which may hold a charge

• Any power sources or batteries must be disconnected or removed before deconstruction

• You must wear safety glasses during the deconstruction process

• What kind of device did you choose to explore, and why?

• What identifiable parts did you find during deconstruction?

• What role does each component play in the system?

• What did you learn from exploring your electronic device?

Technical Details

A submission must meet these minimum requirements in order to be judged.

1. Entry is created and produced solely by student team members. It is acceptable for adults to assist with downloading any necessary resources or submitting the story where students may need permission.

2. Format: One PDF file (up to 20MB) that includes all content, including images.

3. Size: Summary report up to 500 words.

   • Title page, credits, complete parts lists, image captions, and any appended citations are not included in word count.

   • Judges may use a software-based word counter such as http://www.montereylanguages.com/pdf-word-count-online-free-tool.html to verify word counts.

4. Title Page:  Each entry must include a title page that includes:

   • Title of submission

   • Names of students who participated (using first names only is acceptable)

   • Team number 

   • Location of team

5. Images: Each entry must include at least four (4) photographs of your project.

Upload Instructions

• Fill out the submission form and type a brief description of your challenge entry in the Full Description box.

• Click Save.

• Click the blue Links/Videos button in the upper right of the screen.

• Enter the URL, title, and description of your video.

• Click Add Link.

Judging Criteria

• Up to 15 points for an Introduction identifying the electronic device selected, and why it was chosen

• Up to 15 points for a summary of the components found inside the device, and research findings of what the components do and the roles they play in the system

• Up to 15 points for a conclusion describing the lessons learned from this project

• Up to 15 points for clear presentation of findings and organization of content

• Up to 15 points for the quality and readability of the writing, including spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.

• Up to 15 points for the quality and thoroughness of images used to document the project.