| We all listen to music and watch movies on DVDs. | | | | 1. To fit in more data you will have to move the |
| Science fair experiments like this one give you a | | | | magnets closer to give yourself more space. Start |
| chance to demonstrate how sounds and images are | | | | doing that. |
| digitized and stored on disks. | | | | 2. You will reach appoint where the magnets get |
| What is Digitizing? | | | | attracted to each other and come together. |
| All data can be encoded and stored as a series of | | | | 3. The carefully laid out lines of information are now a |
| bits. A bit is represented as either 0 or 1. A series of 8 | | | | mess. It's a jumble that doesn't make sense and the |
| bits is called a byte. A byte contains 256 unique values | | | | information is lost. |
| (2 to the power 8 = 256). If your name is Sam, it will be | | | | 4. The maximum number of lines of magnets you can |
| digitized as one unique byte for S, another for A and | | | | place on the paper is your maximum data storage |
| yet one more for M. So you need 3 bytes to digitize | | | | capacity. |
| your name. | | | | This is what happens of you try to store too much |
| The Experiment | | | | material in a limited space and is why a DVD will have |
| Using magnets, we are going to a conduct a science | | | | a fixed storage capacity and will not accept |
| fair experiment to see just how much data can be | | | | information beyond that point - it will get scrambled. |
| packed into a fixed area and how you can erase it if | | | | Erasing Data |
| you want. What you need for this is a few dozen | | | | |
| small magnets, one large horseshoe magnet, a ruler, | | | | 1. Set up the 3 lines of magnets in the same way. |
| paper and a pencil and a smooth surface to do the | | | | 2. Move the horseshoe magnet over the lines from a |
| experiment on. Ready? Ok, let's start. | | | | height of about six inches and slowly keep lowering |
| Recording the data | | | | the horseshoe magnet. |
| | | | 3. You will reach a point where the horseshoe magnet |
| 1. Color the N pole of all the magnets one color. | | | | starts pulling the bar magnets as it moves over them. |
| 2. Think of each magnet as a bit and separate them | | | | The neat lines are disturbed. |
| into groups of 8 (8 bits for each letter). | | | | This is how erasing happens. The bits are moved from |
| 3. Lay one group on the sheet of paper in a horizontal | | | | their places and the information is gone. When new |
| line, about 2 inches from each other with the N pole | | | | information is recorded, it will be like the lines being |
| pointing to the left. | | | | made again but with a differing sequence because the |
| 4. Make a similar line of the next 8 magnets about 2 | | | | information is different. This is one of the most basic |
| inches below the first and do the same for the third | | | | science fair experiments you can do, but if you know |
| group of magnets | | | | the theory behind it, you will make a great impression |
| 5. The area covered by the magnets is the recording | | | | on the judges. |
| surface where you have recorded the letters S, A | | | | Now that you have the basics of doing science |
| and M. | | | | projects, you should download a free copy of "Easy |
| But suppose you want to record more data in the | | | | Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects" right |
| same area? How much more can you fit in? | | | | now. Just use the link below. |
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