Hands-on Activity Energy Innovator:
Be Your Own Generator

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Describe the flow of the current in a generator.
• Discuss the effects of magnetism in the context of their generator design.
• Solve problems involving voltage, current, and resistance.
• Think about, design, and improve a generator.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State Standards

Materials List

Note: See link to materials examples in the Procedure below.

Each group needs:

• 4 neodymium disk magnets
• 4 LED indicator lights
• 2 blank CDs
• 12.7 cm x 12.7 cm (5’’ x 5”) wooden board
• superglue
• 2 nuts
• bolt
• 2 washers
• 2 small washers
• metal bobbin
• enameled copper wire, 25 gauge, 5 lb, available online (Note: use this you are if wrapping your own copper coils)
• PVC piping, 10 cm in length, or a film canister (Note: this is required for wrapping copper coil)
• copper magnetic levitation coil with iron core, available online (Note: use this if you want to use premade copper coil)
• bottle cap or lid

For the entire class to share:

• markers
• construction paper

For the teacher demo:

• 0.6 m (~2 ft) of 14-gauge copper wire
• AA battery
• 2 small neodymium magnets

Worksheets and Attachments

Pre-Req Knowledge

Students should be familiar with different forms of energy, including exposure to the term "electrical energy," the basics of matter, and the structure of an atom.

Introduction/Motivation

(Have the Energy Innovator PowerPoint Presentation ready to show the class.)

Currently, there are many different ways to generate energy and electricity. Can you tell me different ways energy and electricity can be generated? (Potential answers: oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, sun, wind, water, geothermal.) Some of these sources are renewable which means they are not depleted when used. Examples would be solar, wind and water/hydro power sources. Some of the sources are nonrenewable, which means they are not infinite and they cannot be replenished. Sources like oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear energy are nonrenewable sources.

Besides only having a limited amount of nonrenewable resources, why else would nonrenewable sources of energy not be ideal to use? (Potential answers: environmental pollution, hazardous byproducts for humans and animals, radioactive waste, etc.) So why don’t we just use renewable sources for our energy? (Potential answers: expense, availability, geography, etc.) New renewable energy sources can be more expensive to develop, and they may not be available in certain geographic locations (that is, solar in a place that is often overcast, or wind energy in a calmer climate) There can be issues to effectively and efficiently store this energy, and some of these sources are not available everywhere.

Today, our goal is to be engineers and create a generator that can be reused and can reduce waste products.

We will start with a short demonstration and then we will break into teams of four to design, build and test your own electromagnetic generator prototypes.

Procedure

Background

How does the generator actually work? Copper coils are often used in generators since they are conductors, which allows for electricity to pass through the wire to its source more effectively. Magnets are used to create a stronger attraction, thus a stronger current flow within the generator. Using metal nuts and bolts also allow for a stronger conduction between the currents. This attraction (coupled with a battery) allows the small bulb to light up in a closed circuit! Unfortunately, a constant closed circuit is not feasible, as it can diminish the battery and light bulb’s life. Luckily, by creating a switch in our generator, we can turn on and off the light as needed. This switch can be accomplished by spinning our generator. The spin will power our closed circuit through the use of magnetic currents.

Use the following links as a guide to help understand the phenomenon exhibited in this activity:

• School for Champions - Electromagnetism - https://www.school-for champions.com/science/electromagnetism.htm#.YEa2amhKhaQ
• School for Champions - Magnetic Fields Moving Charge - https://www.school-for-champions.com/science/magnetic_field_moving_charges.htm#.YEa3KmhKhaQ
• School for Champions - Electric Current Generation - https://www.school-for-champions.com/science/electric_current_generation.htm#.YEa28mhKhaQ

Students may not necessarily be able to make the leap from the battery example to a generator; they may be able to form the connection knowing the relationship between moving charge and electromagnetic induction from the links above.

Therefore, consider explaining how the battery is supplying the energy required to do the work of spinning the wire. The hard leap will be knowing that they need to substitute a battery with the kinetic energy (their action of spinning the wheel). A leading or investigating question to ask might be "How do you get energy to flow without the battery?"

Using the teacher demo, show how the energy that exists in a battery is released to create the spinning of the wire. In the following student activity, allow them to explore how the design of the disk moves the charge along in the coils from the initial kinetic spin of the wheel.

Another (optional) resource from the U.S. Energy Information Administration: Electricity explained -https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/how-electricity-is-generated.php

Before the Activity

• Gather, prepare, and set materials aside per group
• Make copies of the Energy Innovator Handout
• Watch Bang Hax’s Magic Trick with magnets – Part 1 – Homopolar motor; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOAJfr8XLek from 2:05 to 3:20 for demo set up and execution.

Teacher Demonstration (watch Bang Hax’s Magic Trick with magnets – Part 1 – Homopolar motor; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOAJfr8XLek)

1. Using 30 cm (1 ft) of the 14-gauge copper wire, fold the wire in half.
2. Using pliers, from 3.8 cm (~1.5 in) from the middle of the fold, bend one end of the wire at a 90-degree angle. Do the same to the other side. 
3. Bend the wire again at a 90-degree angle. Ensure the wire is long enough that it will cover the length of a battery (AA) with at least an inch hanging off.
4. At the ends of the wire, bend it in one direction to create a half circle. With the other end, bend the wire the other way to complete the circle.
5. Place a magnet at the flat end of the battery. Insert the copper wire and allow it to completely touch the battery. The ends at the bottom will touch the magnets. Refer to Figure 2 for an example without magnets. The wire should start to spin around the battery and magnet.
6. Discuss with students the importance of having magnetic fields.
7. Have students observe and make comments about this model, first-generation generator. They should answer the questions in their Energy Innovator Handout.

With the Students

Note: In their designs, students should consider following the steps outlined in this video: Multiple Generator from Arvind Gupta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8BZQyIz97g. 

Note: Materials list, visualized: http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/toys/multiplegenerator.html

1. Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4.
2. Allow the students to observe the model generator demonstration and take notes.
3. Show students the materials they will be able to use.
4. Allow the students to brainstorm and design a model.
5. As they are designing, walk around the room to observe and help improve their design.
6. Once students are ready, the teacher should initial/sign off on their design.
7. Distribute the materials needed to each group.
8. Have students build their models.
9. After students build their model, they should test it.
10. Compare the models with other groups.
11. Allow students to rebuild if necessary.
12. Students then promote their invention and create an advertisement for it. The advertisement must include the location (of where the product would be used), cost, and longevity of their product. They can also include troubleshooting tips.

Vocabulary/Definitions

coil: To wind into rings or spirals.

electromagnetism: The interaction of electric currents or fields and magnetic fields.

generator: A machine by which mechanical energy is changed into electrical energy.

magnetism: An ability to attract or charm.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

Brainstorming: Place the students in their respective groups. Encourage the students to be creative and positive. Ask students what types of generators or magnetic items they can think of as examples.

Quick poll: Can we create energy using magnetism and copper?

Activity Embedded Assessment

Worksheet: Have the students answer the questions on their Energy Innovator Student Handout, starting with the teacher demonstration. Guide the students along, paying particular attention to their budget and end goals.

Post-Activity Assessment

Problem solving: Have the class discuss why their generator did or did not work, what improvements could be made, and what adjustments could take place.

Troubleshooting Tips

Test both the demonstration and the generator before guiding the activity. Some students may not be able to build the generator without referencing the video, which is ok.

References

Copyright

Contributors

Supporting Program

Acknowledgements

This curriculum was based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Rice University Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Systems (NEWT) RET grant no.1449500. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.