Baby Sharks SPIKE™ Prime Coding Course Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the basic and advanced coding concepts for SPIKE™ Prime as described in the Baby Sharks FLL course.

SPIKE™ Prime

A LEGO Education robotics system commonly used in FIRST LEGO League that includes a hub, motors, and sensors.

Hub

The central component of the SPIKE™ Prime kit which includes a 5x5 light matrix, Bluetooth, speakers, and ports for motors and sensors.

Color Sensor

A sensor that detects the reflection of light and converts it into data displayed as specific colors or light percentages.

Distance Sensor

A sensor that sends out sound waves to measure the distance from an object in centimeters or inches.

Touch Sensor

Digital switches that detect when a button is pressed and measure force in Newtons or as a percentage.

Gyro Sensor

An electronic chip built into the hub that detects rotation and measures yaw, pitch, and roll angles.

Loop

A coding structure (such as forever, repeat, or repeat until) that tells a robot to repeat an action multiple times or until a condition is met.

Conditional

A programming structure (such as if, if else, and wait until) that allows a robot to make decisions based on specific input.

Variables

A way for a robot to store and change information, such as sensor readings or speed values, while running a program.

Math Operators

Symbols used to perform calculations including addition $(+)$, subtraction $(-)$, division $(\text{/})$, and multiplication $(\times)$.

Comparison Operators

Symbols used to compare numbers including less than $(<)$, greater than $(>)$, and equal to $(=)$.

Logic Operators

Operators such as AND, OR, and NOT used to combine or modify different conditions.

MyBlocks

Custom blocks in SPIKE™ that allow users to organize code and reuse specific sequences easily.

Yaw

The specific rotation of the hub measured by the gyro sensor, crucial for turning and driving straight.

Absolute Value

A mathematical function used in gyro turning to compare angles regardless of whether the value is positive or negative.

Buffer

A small range (usually $3-5$ degrees) subtracted from a target angle to account for robot momentum and prevent overshooting during a turn.

Threshold

The midpoint value between black and white light readings used by a color sensor to identify the edge of a line.

Side Parameter

A variable (usually $1$ or $-1$) used in line-following code to determine whether the robot follows the left or right edge of a line.

Error (Gyro Straight)

The calculation of how many degrees a robot has drifted from its intended path ($\text{yaw} = 0$).

Gain Value

A multiplier (starting at $-1.5$) used to calculate the correction needed to steer a drifting robot back to its path.

Wheel Circumference

The distance around the regular SPIKE™ wheels, which is exactly $17.5\text{ cm}$.

Distance Formula

The calculation used to convert motor degrees to centimeters: $\text{Distance} = ((\text{A relative motor position} + \text{E relative motor position}) \text{ / } 2) \times (17.5 \text{ / } 360)$.

5x5 LED Matrix

A grid of pixels on the hub controlled by light blocks to display images, text, or animations.