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Worksheet

F12.5 Technology and the environment

Technology and society · GCSE · OCR J277 1.6.1, AQA 8525 3.8, Edexcel 1CP2 5.1.1 · about 15 min

BugBotLab
NameClassDate

What this lesson is about

Making, running and disposing of devices: materials, data centres, e-waste and what helps.

Questions 5 marks in all

  1. [1 mark]When is most of a phone's carbon footprint created?

    1. AWhile it is being manufactured
    2. BWhile it is charging
    3. CWhile it is being recycled
    4. DWhile it is in a shop

  2. [1 mark]What is e-waste?

    1. ADiscarded electrical and electronic devices
    2. BWasted electricity
    3. CSpam email
    4. DUnused files

  3. [1 mark]Why are data centres an environmental concern?

    1. AThey use a great deal of electricity, much of it for cooling
    2. BThey are noisy
    3. CThey take up farmland only
    4. DThey use no electricity

  4. [1 mark]15 devices of 60 W run for 3 hours. How many kWh is that?

  5. [1 mark]How does efficient code help the environment?

    1. AIt does the same job with less processing, so less electricity
    2. BIt makes files smaller only
    3. CIt needs more servers
    4. DIt has no effect

The task: the classroom's footprint

For each device in devices (a name, its watts, and how many hours it runs a day), work out the energy for a 190-day school year across count of them. Print <name>: <kwh> kWh rounded to 1 decimal place, then at the end total: <kwh> kWh, cost: £<n> at 28p a unit rounded to 2 decimal places, and carbon: <n> kg CO2 at 190 g a unit, rounded to the nearest whole number.

# the two lines every program starts with: the commands, then the robot
from bugbot import *
connect()

days = 190
count = 15                      # how many of each device the class has
# name, watts, hours a day
devices = [("laptop", 50, 5), ("robot charging", 8, 1), ("projector", 220, 4)]

Plan your program here, then type it in and press Run.

QR code
Do it on the robot
www.bugbotlab.com/learn/f12-5-technology-and-the-environment/
The simulator checks it and tells you when it passes. Nothing to install, no account.

Challenges

  1. The projector is replaced with one using 120 W. How much carbon does that save in a year?
  2. Which costs more over five years: making 15 new laptops, or running them? Look up a figure for making one.
  3. Name three things a school could do to cut the footprint of its computers.