science

Lightning switch

Lightning switch is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lightning switch rather than just read about it. In short: Lightning switch is a wireless and batteryless remote control switch technology manufactured by PulseSwitch Systems, a member of The Face Companies Group of Norfolk, Virginia. It is most commonly used as a wireless light switch.

Key takeaways

Lightning switch belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lightning switch to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lightning switch from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lightning switch is a wireless and batteryless remote control switch technology manufactured by PulseSwitch Systems, a member of The Face Companies Group of Norfolk, Virginia. It is most commonly used as a wireless light switch.

Energy harvesting The Lightning Switch transmitter requires no outside source of electricity. Each time the transmitter button is pressed, the transmitter converts the mechanical energy supplied by the user's finger into electricity to power a radio transmission to a receiver/relay through the use of a piezoelectric generator (brand name: Lightning) originally invented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This technology is described in the 2005 issue of NASA Spinoff magazine.

Technology The Lightning Switch is featured in the 2007 Concept Home in Omaha, Nebraska, part of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) coordinated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Lightning products were studied by HUD consultant Newport Partners, LLC of Davidsonville, Maryland USA. Lightning Switch won a 2006 NOVA Award, the highest international honor for innovation in the construction industry. In October 2007, NASA cited the employment of the Lightning piezoelectric generator in the Lightning Switch as one of the top 20 spinoff technologies produced over the previous five years, based on factors such as quality of life, economic benefit, and value back to NASA. In March 2008, the Lightning Switch was chosen as the winner of the 2008 SPIE Smart Structures Product Implementation Award. In 2012, the Lightning Switch was "Space Certified" by the Space Foundation.

External links Lightning Switch Website Archived 2007-03-29 at the Wayback Machine NASA Spinoff 2005 Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) Website Newport Partners Case Study on Lightning Switch Construction Innovation Forum's NOVA Award Website NOVA Award Description of the Lightning Switch Technology Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Constructor magazine article on Lightning Switch, November/December 2006 Electronic Design article on Lightning piezo, June 21, 2007 Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Fine Homebuilding article on the PATH Concept Home and The Lightning Switch, February/March 2008 Archived 2008-12-21 at the Wayback Machine

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lightning switch

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lightning switch claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lightning switch before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lightning switch ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lightning switch

In research: Lightning switch appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lightning switch in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lightning switch is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American inventions, Remote control, Switches, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lightning switch outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lightning switch in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lightning switch means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lightning switch out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lightning switch in simple terms?

Why does Lightning switch matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lightning switch?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lightning switch.