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Kid Inventor: The Couch Protector

Resource for Grades 3-12

WGBH: Zoom
Kid Inventor: The Couch Protector

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 1m 13s
Size: 3.7 MB

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Source: ZOOM


Resource Produced by:

WGBH Educational Foundation

Collection Developed by:

WGBH Educational Foundation

Collection Credits

Collection Funded by:

National Science Foundation

Electricity has been a powerful force in the hands and minds of inventors. Tired of constantly chasing his dogs off of the couch, Jason put electricity to one of its latest uses, in a "couch protector". In this video segment from ZOOM, Jason describes the conception and design of his imaginative device.

open Background Essay

Hair dryers, toaster ovens, flashlights, television sets, and couch protectors all work thanks to electrons. Without electrons, or more precisely the flow of electrons, millions of people would lead very different lives. This flow of electrons, also known as electrical current, is essentially the same whether it is generated by a nuclear power plant or an AA battery.

In order for electrical current to flow, three conditions must be met. One is that there must be a material, usually in the form of a wire or cable, which conducts electricity. This means that electrons can move, or flow, easily through the material, not staying locked on any particular atom by atomic forces. These materials, called conductors, have loosely held electrons, allowing for this free flow. In contrast, insulators are materials hold onto their electrons more strongly and resist the flow of current through them.

The second requirement for electrical current to flow is the presence of a power source itself. Whatever its form, a source of electrical current creates what is called a voltage difference, which pushes electrons through the circuit. The chemical reactions inside batteries produce voltage differences between one end of the cell and the other that result in electrical current.

Lastly, electrical current requires a closed circuit. This is a length of conducting material connected at each end to a power source that also passes through the "load," the object that makes use of the current. A closed circuit allows a direct, uninterrupted flow of electrons out from the power source and back again in a complete circular connection with no beginning or end.

open Discussion Questions

  • Draw a diagram of Jason's couch protector showing all parts of the electrical circuit.
  • What keeps the metal sheets apart when the dog or Jason's brother is not sitting on the couch?
  • What is the point of the tarp Jason puts around the entire system?
  • What are some other ways to protect a couch from dogs that like to jump up on them? How do your ideas compare with Jason's solution? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each?

  • open Transcript

    JASON THIBODEAU: Hello, my name is Jason Thibodeau, and I invented the couch protector. The reason why I invented the couch protector was because I always had the problem with my dogs getting on the couch when I was gone. This solves the problem, because when the dogs jump on the couch... (high-pitched alarm beeps) It goes off just like that and scares them immediately off the second they jump on.

    This is how it works. Inside this tarp there's two pieces of wood which have two sheets of metal inside, so when it contacts... (alarm beeping) It completes the circuit right to the alarm. And a 40-pound dog could set this off. I've had my little brother sit on this quite a few times, and that's how I tested it with 40 pounds. (alarm beeps, boy yelps)

    Now I don't have to put anything on the couch to block my dogs. All you have to do is, right before you leave, you place it right on the couch, put this on top of the back of the couch, and then you're ready to go.


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