Week 8 — Radio Waves & Pass the Ghost

Focus Concept: Radio communication and wave basics
Mini-Project: Pass the Ghost (multiplayer radio)

Connections to STEAM Learning

  • Computing: We will exchange data using the micro:bit radio and explore how groups and channels work.
  • Science: We will link our project to how signals and communication happen in everyday devices.
  • Maths: We will consider timing, ordering, and ranking—for example, who buzzes first.
  • Engineering & Technology: We will design a fair communication system with clear feedback and reliable resets.

This week’s session mixed science and coding.
We began by exploring waves — how they move energy and information — and linked that to how the micro:bit radio works.
Participants then built a small program called Pass the Ghost, where one micro:bit sends a message to another, showing a ghost icon and short sound when received.

Objectives

  • Understand what a wave is and how radio waves carry information.
  • Learn the ideas of amplitude, frequency, and wavelength in simple terms.
  • Identify common uses of radio waves (music, phones, Wi-Fi, etc.).
  • Use micro:bit radio to send and receive a message.
  • Add sound effects and experiment with inputs and outputs.
  • Revisit concepts from Weeks 1–2 through a short quiz.

Success Criteria

  • I can explain that waves transfer energy, not matter.
  • I can describe radio waves as a type of electromagnetic wave.
  • I can say what frequency and amplitude mean.
  • I can use the micro:bit to send a simple message by radio.
  • I can debug and improve a program that uses radio blocks.

Key Vocabulary

  • Wave — a moving pattern that transfers energy.
  • Amplitude — how tall a wave is (strength).
  • Frequency — how many waves per second (pitch for sound).
  • Wavelength — distance from one wave peak to the next.
  • Radio wave — an electromagnetic wave used for communication.
  • Transmitter — device that sends the signal.
  • Receiver — device that picks it up.
  • Radio Group — a shared channel that devices join to talk.
  • ID — a number that identifies each micro:bit.
  • Amplitude (modulation) and frequency (modulation) — ways to carry sound on radio waves.

Part A — Exploring Waves

We started by discussing:

  • What different types of waves exist (sound, light, radio, water).
  • The difference between amplitude, frequency, and wavelength.
  • Why humans can only hear certain frequencies.
  • How radio waves carry signals and what “frequency bands” mean.

Simple classroom demonstrations and drawings helped visualise how waves move energy but not matter.

Part B — Pass the Ghost

Participants then examined a short piece of radio code that let two micro:bits “pass a ghost” back and forth by shaking.
They predicted what the program would do, tested it, and modified it to add sound effects and different icons.

💡 This activity linked coding logic (if tests and variables) to the real-world idea of transmitters and receivers.

Part C — Quiz Recap

During the last 15–20 minutes, we revisited concepts from Weeks 1 and 2 through quiz questions and discussions, checking how much the group remembered about inputs, outputs, loops and events.

Resources

  • MakeCode Editor: Link
  • Micro:bit Radio Reference: Link
  • Pass the Ghost Makecode Code
  • Radio in Micro:bit: Video
  • Sound: Wavelength, Frequency and Amplitude: Video
  • Physics - Sound Waves and Hearing: Video
  • Waves - Light Waves and Sound Waves: Video
  • Electromagnetic spectrum: Video
  • Why can’t you put metal in a microwave? Video
  • 1st Radford Semele and Leamington Scouts in touch with the ISS via Amateur Radio (full event): Video

Equipment

  • BBC micro:bits + USB cables (or simulator)
  • Laptops / Chromebooks with internet access
  • Speakers or headphones for sound effects
  • Whiteboard or visuals to draw wave examples

Safety & Setup Notes

  • Keep cables tidy when participants move around testing radio code.
  • Use unique radio group numbers to avoid interference.
  • Monitor volume levels for sound experiments.