In the generator lab my lab partners and I will understand how to use the NXT and lab view to measure the voltage output of the generator. The goal of the lab is to correlate the number of shakes of the generator in 30 seconds with their appropriate voltages. Materials needed to conduct the experiment are excel, lab view, NXT and adaptor, 1 voltage probe, and 1 generator which is a magnet that moves back and forth inside a coil of wire. To understand the lab one must review Faraday’s Law. Faraday’s Law states states that changing magnetic fluxes through coiled wires generate electricity. This means that the greater change in magnetic flux results in greater voltages and currents.

To perform the experiment do the following (repeat ~3 times)
1. Shake the tube for 30 seconds (different shake rates each time)
2. Count the number of shakes within the 30 seconds
3. Using Excel calculate the sum of the squares of the voltages using the =sumsq formula
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 three more times
5. Graph in excel the squares of the voltages with the corresponding number of shakes
6. Use a linear curve in graphs

During the lab my group did a total of four different shake times. We started with a baseline of zero shakes, then 77, 71, and 150. After coping the numbers into excel we were able to get the sum of the squares of the voltages using the =sumsq. We were unsure that we were doing the lab correctly because our numbers were so big. After we realized that the higher number of shakes means a high squares of the voltages. Therefore, 150 shakes had the highest number of 441.3.

In our experiment it was difficult to count the number of shakes in 30 seconds. Also it was hard to continuously shake for 30 seconds. This could’ve made our data skewed. When looking at the data the faster the shake the greater the generated voltage (Faraday’s Law).

Websites used
http://web.cas.suffolk.edu/faculty/lshatz/Sustainability_class/Generator_Lab.htm