science

PowerCube

PowerCube 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 PowerCube rather than just read about it. In short: The PowerCube is a multiple electrical socket adaptor manufactured by the Allocacoc Corporation in Shanghai, China. Unlike a conventional power strip, the device is arranged like a cube, which can solve the problem of multiple AC adapters fighting for space.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The PowerCube is a multiple electrical socket adaptor manufactured by the Allocacoc Corporation in Shanghai, China. Unlike a conventional power strip, the device is arranged like a cube, which can solve the problem of multiple AC adapters fighting for space.

History The PowerCube was created by two graduates of industrial design engineering at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. They noticed that people had problems using conventional multi-socket adaptors and started a company, Allocacoc in 2011, to produce an alternative.

Features The PowerCube is a cubic shaped power socket equipped with multiple sockets. This allows differently shaped AC adapters to be plugged in next to each other, which is not necessarily possible on a conventional powerboard due to shape and geometry. A typical scenario may be a laptop, a tablet computer and multiple smartphones charging simultaneously. The device is available in several different modules, including an optional extension cord and USB outlet, and catering for the target country's appropriate power supply. Several magazines criticised the PowerCube for its lack of a suitable surge protection, noting that the device has been manufactured solely for convenience. This issue has been addressed and surge protection is now offered in the PowerCube Range, 2016.

Awards

The PowerCube has won several awards:

The PowerExtension was in the MKB Innovation top 100 at the fifth place in 2014. Red Dot Design Award 2014 GIO acknowledgment for good industrial design 2015 CITE (China Information Technology Expo) award 2015

External links Official website Ukraine shop Danish shop

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PowerCube

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PowerCube 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 PowerCube 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 PowerCube 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 PowerCube

In research: PowerCube 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 PowerCube 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: PowerCube is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chinese inventions, Electrical connectors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PowerCube 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 PowerCube in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PowerCube 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 PowerCube out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PowerCube in simple terms?

Why does PowerCube 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 PowerCube?

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 PowerCube.