Motor Lab
Purpose
Investigate motors and generators.
Materials
one D-cell battery, one battery holder, one light bulb (3.8 volt), set of wires, and hand-cranked device
Definitions
- Work is the transfer of energy.
- Mechanical Energy is the energy associated with the motion or position of an object.
- Electrical Energy is the energy associated with the motion and position of charges.
- Chemical Energy is the energy associated with the bonds between atoms.
Part 1
Objective
What’s the difference between a generator and motor?
1. Wire the following elements together: hand-cranked device and a light bulb.
2. Crank the hand-cranked device. What happens?
3. The hand-cranked device and light bulb constitute a simple circuit. Recall that every circuit requires an energy provider and energy consumer.
- What is consuming the energy?
- How is the energy being provided to the bulb being consumed?
- What type of energy is being provided to the light bulbs?
- What type of energy is being provided to the hand-cranked device?
- How is the energy being provided to the hand-cranked device being produced?
4. How is the hand-cranked device behaving: motor or generator? Define your choice.
5. Hold the hand-cranked device.
6. Wire the following elements together: hand-cranked device and a battery. What happens?
7. The hand-cranked device and battery constitute a simple circuit. Recall that every circuit requires an energy provider and energy consumer.
- What is consuming the energy?
- How is the energy being provided to the hand-cranked device being consumed?
- What type of energy is being provided to the hand-cranked device?
- What type of energy is being provided by the battery?
- How is the energy being provided to the battery being produced?
8. How is the hand-cranked device behaving: motor or generator? Define your choice.