Transcript Kally & Ashleigh`s ELECTRICITY CHALLENGE

Kally & Ashleigh’s
Generating electricity for a refugee aid station!
Before we discuss how we built our station,
here is some
BACKGROUND ON
ELECTRICITY
Where Does the Word 'Electricity' Come
From?
Greek word "elektor," meaning "beaming sun."
What is Electricity and How
Does it Work?
--All matter is made up of atoms
--Electrons spin around the nucleus (made of protons and neutrons)
--Electrons contain a negative charge, protons a positive charge; neutrons are neutral
--Electrons can be made to move from one atom to another; current of electricity is
created.
The Who’s
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
His kite experiment demonstrated that lightning is electricity. He was the first to use the terms
positive and negative charge.
Benjamin Franklin to be the father of electricity. In 1752, famous
experiment of flying a kite during a thunderstorm, discovery that lightning
and electricity were somehow related.
The Who’s
Alessandro Volta
constructed the voltaic pile, later known as the electric battery, the first device to produce
a steady electric current.
It was Volta, not Franklin, who discovered that certain chemical
reactions could produce electricity.
The Who’s
George Westinghouse (1846-1914)
was awarded the contract to build the first generators at Niagara Falls.
He used his money to buy up patents in the electric field.
The Who’s
Michael Faraday(1791-1867)
One of the most significant discoveries in the history of
electricity: Electromagnetic induction.
His pioneering work dealt with how electric currents work.
Symbols
The + and represent the
positive and
negative ends of
the battery. As
you can see,
there are two
batteries in this
model.
The R
represents
resistance. As
you can see,
this model
contains three
points of
resistance.
In-Class Projects
John Travoltage
In class, we
conducted an
online experiment
that showed us an
example of static
electricity. As we
moved John
Travolta’s foot back
and forth across the
carpet, static
electricity was
transferred. As he
touched the door
handle, the current
was transferred,
creating electricity.
In-Class Projects
AC and DC
We conducted another online experiment
in class that involved putting together AC
and DC circuits.
alternating current (AC) -instead of a
constant voltage supplied by a battery, the
voltage oscillates in a sine wave pattern
direct current (DC) - circuits involve current
flowing in one direction
All About Light Bulbs
Light is a form of energy that can be released by an atom made
up of light photons, which are the most basic units of light.
Atoms release light photons when their electrons become
excited.
The wavelength of the emitted light depends on how much
energy is released, which depends on the particular position of
the electron.
If half of all traditional Christmas bulbs were replaced with LED
bulbs, it could yield a savings of $17 billion dollars a year in
energy bills
LEDs don't have a filament that will burn out, don't get
especially hot, but last just as long as a standard transistor.
Circuits
Electrons with a negative charge, can't "jump" through the air to a positively charged
atom. wait until there is a bridge. Bridge called a "circuit."
limit the number of electrons that can cross over circuit, giving it "resistance."
Parallel Circuit
Series Circuit
Simple Circuit
Ohm’s Law
OHM’S LAW
EX:
If you have12 volts and 6
Ohms, you would have 2
Amps.
12/6 = 2
In-Class Learning
Kally showed Mr. Shircliff how to light a bulb with TWO wires and a battery
1. First wire-attach one end to positive of battery, other end to threads on bulb
2. Second wire-attach one end to negative of battery, other to "nipple" on bulb
LIGHT!
In-Class Learning
We showed Mr. Shircliff how to light a bulb with ONE wire and a battery
Touch one end of wire to negative end of battery, nipple of battery to positive
end of battery, and touch other end of wire to the thread of bulb
LIGHT!
In-Class Learning
We built a series and a parallel circuit
- We know it’s a parallel circuit because when you remove a bulb, the others stay lit
- For series, when one light bulb is removed, the others go out
In-Class Learning
We built and analyzed using Ohm's Law a parallel and series circuit in class
We drew them and used a voltammeter to get numbers
In-Class Learning
Today we built a DC motor in class using a battery,
copper sheets, copper wire wound into a circle with ends
sticking out, a magnet, and a plastic base provided.
How it worked:
The magnet created a magnetic field.
The copper wire became magnetic because of the battery.
Then, the copper wire ends sticking out were shaved off on one side- this caused the
magnetic current to switch on and off, causing the wire to rotate (rotational magnetic
field)
In-Class Learning
Today in class we used the genecon to
light 3 bulbs in series. It was difficult and
not very bright
Series circuit's bulbs are dim and
all go off when one is taken away
In parallel, all bulbs get the same voltage
Then we did in parallel: slightly easier, and
quite a bit brighter
Parallel is best! because it has branches
that each have their own path for flow of
electrons
We chose to try and
build a coke and
penny battery
So far, we have not
been able to
successfully light any
light bulbs with the
batteries that we built,
but each battery is
putting out about 1V
Trial and Error (making batteries)
materials;
coke
pennies
aluminum foil
paper towels
cup with salt
Another Attempt
Due to failure with the aluminum batteries, we decided to repeat the experiment with
nickels.
Putting It All Together
In class, we used Paint to plan and sketch our shelter.
This is what we came up with.
Putting It All Together
This is the actual model
that we built.
The End
Our final idea that worked was using a DC motor to light our
LED light bulb. We attached a handle, making it possible for us
to generate electricity. It didn’t work very well, due to the fact
that our motor may have had loose parts on the inside.