The Power of Energy

The power of energy

Nothing can happen without energy. Energy is needed to do work, such a making things move. To make something move, a source of energy is needed. For example an engine works by burning fuel-a storage of chemical energy. The two experiments here explore different ways in which energy can be captured to make something move.

The turbine experiment shows how the energy in flowing water makes a spin. This energy is used in many household appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines.

The development of the steam engine and the electric motor in the 1800s provided new source of energy that were abe to power ships and railways engines. For example, and later, to light homes and streets.

Turbine:

You will need:
Scissors
Plastic bottle
Pencil
Two wide drinking straws
Plastic tape
Thin
String
Tray
Water

1. Cutt off the bottel's top. Use the pencil to poke holes around its base. Cut the straws and push them through the holes. Use tape to hod the straws in the place.

2. Poke three holes around the top of the bottle. Tie three equal pieces of string through the holes, and jion them to one long piece of string.

3. Hold your turbine over a tray, or outdoors, so that you will not make a mess with the water. Fill the bottle with water. It will squirt out thriugh the straws, making the bottle.

Electric Motors

You will need:
Bradawl, two (red) end supports
2x2 inch, ruler, glue for plastic,
blue plastic modeling board 6 x 4 x ¹/4 inch
scissors, drinking straw,
two (yellow) coil supports 2 ¹/2 x 2 inch,
two (white) coil supports spacers 1 ¹/2 x 1 inch
wire strippers
insulated (plastic coated) copper wire,
thread reel,
Alumunium foil,
Thin Tape,
Knitting needle 6 inch long,
Two green magnet supports 1 ¹/4 inch high, two powerful bar magnets,
Four paper clips,
Two flexible connecting wires 8 inch long.
Thick plastic tape,
6 volt battery.

1. Use the bradawl to make a hole ¹/2in from the top of each of the two end supports. Glue then to the base board, ,¹/2in inward from the shorter edges.

2. Cut a lenght of straw 4 ¹/2in long . glue the straw to one coil support. Glue the two coil support spacers to the either side of the straw. Glue the second support over the top.

3. strip ³/4in of insulation from one end of the wire and 1 1/4inch from the other. Wind wire between the coil supports. Slide the reel onto the straw, with the longest part of the straw, showing.

4. Cut a foil strip the width of the reel, to fit three-quarters of the way around the reel. Cut it in half. Put the wire ends against the reel. Tape foil over each wire so it is under the foil's center.

5. stick the reel to the straw. Hold it between the end supports. Slide the knitting needle through the hole in each end supports. Secure the coil support with green magnet supports.

6. Place the magnets on the supports, so that the coil and reel spin freely. Unbend two paper clips to make hooks. Join one end of each to a connecting wire and fix to the base with thick tape. Using papaer clips, join the ends of the wires to the battery. The reel should start spinning around.