The electricity guy.
Tom Vales said time and time again that he loves electricity. Anyone watching his presentation could tell the real love he has for it, and how intrigued he is by it. Vales brought in a lot of visual experiments to show the class, which i really liked because while learning it is easier for me to understand if I actually see how it works.
Vales showed us three different types of motors. The motors were really cool to see up close, and to see how they actually work. Vales also did a very good job describing and making the explanation of these motors interesting.
The first motor that Vales showed us was the Hot air engine. This engine uses one Styrofoam cup. Towards the end of the presentation the class noticed that the motor slowed down and eventually stopped working. This slow down in the motor was because the water that was in the cup which was hot to begin with became cooler which hindered the motor from working. This type of motor is very heat sensitive, which means that it is probably not the best motor to use when the water temperature can’t be controled.
The second heater is the Mendocino Motor. This motor does not use heat necessarily but is run by solar panels. These solar cells are attached to the sides of the motor. The light that is placed in the direction of the panels is what makes the motor work. This motor reminds me of the solar energy lab we did last week. The solar power gives off energy which helps the motor more.
The third and final heater that Vales showed the class was the Peltier motor. This motor was made with two Styrofoam cups, one cup had cold water, while the other had hot water. One part of the motor was in the hot and one part was in the cold water. Vales told the class that this is the type of motor that helps keep portable beer coolers cool. The difference in temperature of the hot and cold water is what makes the energy that this motor uses.
The picture above is Vales using the Tesla coil. The Tesla coil reminded me of the ball of energy/electricity in the Museum of Science in the electricity room. This coil reminded me of this because of the electricity was purple and in lightning like shapes. The lightning shape energy that I just mentioned is how the energy is transmitted through electricity.