Electricity and Magnetism

Step 3: Electricity Science of Energy Station Six Teaches Students About The Relationship Between Magnetism and Electricity Shows Electricity Can Be Changed To Other Forms Of Energy Demonstrates How We Use Various Sources of Energy to Generate Electricity in A Power Plant Use Station 6 kits and the following 5 slides to demonstrate changing electricity in motion, the relationship between magnetism and electricity, and how a power plant produces electricity.

Relationship between electricity and magnetism Ampere’s Law: Electric currents create magnetic fields. Use the D-cell battery, wire and compass to demonstrate how an electric current running through a wire creates a magnetic field around the wire. Also point out that electrical energy is being transformed motion energy Use the disassemble motor, 9 volt battery, alligator clips and the assembled motor to show how a motor works. Point out that a motor changes electrical energy into motion energy. Show that reversing the leads on the alligator clip changes the direction that the motor shaft is spinning. Explain that this happens because when you change the lead, you change the north and south pole in the coils of copper wire in the motor.

Electrical Energy to Motion Energy

How A Motor Works Using the disassembled motor, point out the permanent magnets cemented to the motor casing (in some of the motors they have been painted green and red. Point out the three coils of wire inside the magnets (the coils can be removed from the motor casing by pulling on the shaft). Ask them what will happen to the coils of wire when the motor is hooked up to the battery. Explain that an electric current will run from the battery, through the alligator clips to the lead on battery, to the coils of wire inside the motor. Because an electric current is running through the coils of wire, the coils become temporary magnets (only magnets as long as current is flowing through them). The magnetic polls of the coils of wire are able pushed and pulled toward and away from the poles of the permanent magnet making the coverting chemical energy (battery) to electrical energy to motion energy (spinning coils and shaft).

Faraday’s Law of Induction A changing magnetic field creates an electric field. There is no demonstration of this concept in Station 6. However, it is the key concept in understanding how current electricity is generated in a power The law states that any change in the magnetic field of a coil of wire will cause voltage to be “induced” in the coil. No matter how the change is produced, the voltage will be generated. The change could be produced by changing the magnetic field strength, moving a magnet toward or away from the coil, moving the coil into or out of the magnetic field, rotating the coil relative to the magnet, etc. Faraday’s Law of Induction

How a turbine generator works 3. Electric Current Is Produced 1. Turbine Spins Shaft In a power plant, the voltage is induced in by rotating the coil of wire relative to the magnet (i.e. huge coils of wire spin inside the two huge magnets) causing voltage to be induced in the coil of wire. The electric current then flows out of the power plant to transmission lines to your home. In a power plant, motion energy (spinning coils of wire) is changed in electrical energy. 2. Coils of Wire Connect to Shaft Spin Inside Two Huge Magnet

Thermal Power Plant Thermal Power Plant 2.Thermal Energy 3.Motion Let’s see how the entire process of generating electricity works in a power plant. In a coal burning power plant, coal (chemical energy) is burned (thermal energy) to boil water to produce steam. The steam moves flows past the blades of a turbine causing them to spin (motion energy). The turbine blades are connected to one end of a shaft which also spins. Connect to the other end of the shaft is the huge coil of wire. The spinning shaft causes the coil of wire to rotate inside the magnets which results in voltage being induced in the coil of wire (electricity to be produced or a transformation of motion energy into electrical energy. 4.Electrical Energy 1.Chemical Energy