Snohomish County PUD Mr. Sparks

Does wind have power?

… But can we capture that power to generate electricity? Volunteer?

What are these things? What do you notice?

Some turbines are really BIG.

Some turbines are really small !

Today we are going to: Think, talk and work like scientists 10 teams - do 5 different experiments at the same time/2 trials at each table Present your findings Divide into 5 teams of engineering experts Design & build a turbine A water pumping contest

The Scientific Method Q P D C

The Scientific Method Question Predict Procedure Data Conclusion

How do different brands of dog food affect the growth rate of dogs? The Manipulated variable is the brand of dog food The Responding variable is dogs' growth rate Sample Investigative Question...

Why would we want to build wind turbines today?

Is a wind turbine a system? Inputs?Outputs?

How does a generator generate electricity?

What is a variable in a scientific investigation? A variable in a scientific investigation is something that can vary, or change.

There are three types of variables in a scientific investigation... Controlled Manipulated Responding

Controlled variables… the ones we keep the same. Manipulated variables... are the ones we change on purpose. It's what we are testing. Responding variables... are the results our investigation gives us. It's our data.

What blade variables could we manipulate to affect electrical output?

Number of blades Blade pitch Blade mass Materials used Blade length Blade shape Surface area Blade twist What blade variables could we manipulate to affect electrical output?

Teams 1 and 2 will test Number of Blades Teams 3 and 4 will test Pitch (angle) of the Blades Teams 5 and 6 will test Mass (weight) of the Blades Teams 7 and 8 will test Length of Blades Teams 9 and 10 will test Shape of the Blades Testing Teams What is your manipulated variable?

With your team Fill in your variables 2. Make your team's prediction. (use the terms, “increase” or “decrease”) 3. Follow the procedure on your paper and commence! You have about 30 minutes!

1.Remember to fill in data chart. 2.Look for a trend (pattern) in the data. Compare your trend with your partner team? Retest if necessary. After you are finished testing your blades… 1.Put all materials back into your box. 2.Work together to finish writing the conclusion. 3.If you finish early, complete the answers to the questions on page 2. As you are testing your blades…

Your new job is to be part of an expert engineering team that must design and build the very best set of wind turbine blades. You cannot do this alone, therefore success depends on all you experts working together.

1.Listen to each other as you share your data and recommendations with your team. 2.Record your team's decisions on the giant poster. Use your data to make your decisions! 1.As a team, complete a design plan on the poster. 2.Get your plan approved by your teacher or me.our data 3.Build your blades according to your design. Remember, craftsmanship is important! Have an adult do your gluing! 4.Test/modify your prototype. 5.Record your test data, especially your maximum voltage output. Your Engineering Jobs:

Blade Competition

We will now use our turbines to generate electricity. That electricity will be used to power an electrical water pump. That pump will pump water into a graduated cylinder. Let's see which team can pump the most water!

TeamTime (sec)H 2 O pumped (mL)

Number of blades Angle/pitch of the blades Weight/mass of the blades Length of the blades Shape of the blades What were the 5 different blade variables tested today?

Can you think of any other blade variables that we did not test today?

Advantages of using wind to generate electricity? Disadvantages of using wind to generate electricity?

Kinetic energy is the energy of MOTION Wind is…….. AIR IN MOTION Wind Energy is KINETIC ENERGY

Instead of wind, you could use _____ to generate electricity.

What creates wind?

How is a wind farm part of the entire electricity-generating system?

What variables do you think affect the power output from wind turbines? Wind speed Generators Size of turbine Gear ratio Location Blade design

Discussion Questions What variable has the greatest impact on power output? Can the data we collected today be related to full scale wind turbines? How? What are some advantages and disadvantages of wind power? What is the one thing you will remember the most about today’s lesson?