Feeling the heat – Part 1

A happy young boy wearing a blue tshirt and backback smiles as he looks at his mobole phone

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How can helping my phone stay cool help with climate change, and what can mathematicians do to help?

Overheating makes our electronic devices less efficient and reduces their lifespan. Future materials, designed using mathematics, could be used to prevent this.

In 2019, the European Environmental Bureau reported that extending the lifetime of mobile phones in Europe by just one year would save 2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2030.

That’s the equivalent of taking over a million cars off the roads! Eleanor Russell uses maths to understand how heat diffuses through solids. Play her games to find out how new materials with special properties could protect our devices from heat damage.

Meet Eleanor!

Eleanor Russell uses maths to understand how heat diffuses through solids. Play her games to find out how new materials with special properties could protect our devices from heat damage.

Thermal Devices Game: See how different devices, designed using mathematics, can interact with objects in both beneficial and non-beneficial ways. Can you protect the snowman and balloon, and flip the switch?

Circuit maze: Use the 4 devices to guide the flames around the circuit and towards the camp fire without popping the balloon or melting the snowman. Each device can be used on the two switches, the snowman and the balloon – just drag and drop! You must position all four devices before you can start the game.

When the circuit is complete, the green start button will appear. Click to start and see the result. To reset all the devices and start again just click the green flag in the top left hand corner.

Good luck!

Age

Suitable for ages 7+.

Activity Information

Act now to keep your phone cool!

Here are some simple steps you can take today to keep your phone cool and extend its lifespan:

Keep your phone out of direct sunlight and store it away from other electronic devices.
Many apps keep running in the background even after you stop using them. Make sure you close apps when you finish using them, and uninstall apps you don’t need from your device.
Keep your applications and operating system up to date. Updates often fix bugs and errors that can make applications slow and inefficient.
Use airplane and battery saver modes where appropriate.
Reduce your screen brightness. If you use your phone outside a lot consider using an anti-glare screen protector, instead of just turning the brightness up.
If your phone gets too hot, stop using it and put it somewhere out of direct heat and sunlight. You can take the case off if it is removable, but do not subject your phone to extreme cold, such as inside a fridge. Sudden changes in temperature can damage your phone, and expose it to moisture.

If you enjoyed this activity, why not check out Feeling the heat – Part 2!