Each student-created skit emphasizes building on earlier discoveries. The connections between inventions form a thread that spans 200 years. Understanding different kinds of changes helps us to predict what will happen next. The fundamental building blocks of computer science are logic gates, based on math developed almost two centuries ago. Students discover through their own experimentation what the patterns of change are in each mystery box.
Simple patterns lead to the complex.
The theme of scale and structure is intimately tied with that of systems and interactions because most systems are studied at some scale. The Mystery Boxes activity provides a particular scale to view technology. The process of technological innovation takes place within a complex system. Mathematical aspects provide a means of expression. Social aspects influence what inventions will be developed and will have widespread impact on society.