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Science 5: Let's Make a Turbine 9 Views
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Description:
Today we're going to convert wind into energy. No, it's not a lesson on alchemy. We're not allowed to teach about that anymore. Take a look at the video, though, and we'll tell you about an even better (real) way to do it.
Transcript
- 00:04
[Dino and Coop singing]
- 00:12
You're probably wondering why all of those turbine building materials are sitting right in front of you…
- 00:17
…and if you didn't even notice them…maybe you should give your eye doctor a call… [Girl looks scared]
- 00:21
But make it quick, because as soon as you're done, we're making wind turbines! [Girl using her phone]
- 00:25
[Phone ringing and the doctor is asleep]
Full Transcript
- 00:30
Wow, this is a long call….
- 00:32
Finally.
- 00:33
Let's quickly explain exactly why we want you to build a wind turbine.
- 00:37
And don't worry, it'll be way faster than that call… [Coop dancing with a hat]
- 00:40
It's because we want you to better understand how the alternative energy source known as
- 00:44
wind power works!
- 00:45
Ever see those big windmills out in the middle of a field? [Wind farm]
- 00:48
Those are wind turbines that use air movement to spin, and all that spinning creates electricity. [Wind turbines turning really fast]
- 00:53
By building a little turbine of your own, you'll get a glimpse into the life of a wind [Girl holding her own wind turbine made from a carton]
- 00:57
turbine engineer, whose job is to design the most efficient energy-making wind turbines.
- 01:02
Pretty cool, huh?
- 01:03
Okay, back to the fun – and back to our materials.
- 01:07
So for starters, let's grab your milk carton and your dowel.
- 01:11
What you're going to do is poke a hole all the way through the carton, about two-thirds [Shmoop milk carton and an X showing where the hole needs to be]
- 01:15
of the way up.
- 01:16
[Pointed fingers showing the position of the holes]
- 01:19
Once you've done that, you're going to stick your dowel right through those two holes.
- 01:23
Next, you'll put your foam ball on one end of the dowel, like so. [The dowel is stuck through the carton]
- 01:28
On the other end of the dowel, you'll use the string to tie a small paper cup to it.
- 01:31
[The string and paper cup are attached to the dowel]
- 01:34
You'll want to make sure it hangs a few inches from the dowel.
- 01:36
Easy, breezy right?
- 01:38
Well…not breezy yet.
- 01:39
Patience, grasshopper. [Girl dressed in karate gear]
- 01:41
Next up comes the blades of your turbine.
- 01:43
Those are the things sticking off the turbine that catch the wind. [Turbine blades highlighted]
- 01:46
But we're not going to just tell you how to design these.
- 01:48
Instead, it's up to you to experiment with the design and shape of your blades in order
- 01:52
to figure out what seems to work best. [Guy with an afro and big safety goggles]
- 01:54
You should have some craft sticks, index cards, pencils, scissors and glue for this. [The different materials appear]
- 01:58
And to give you an idea of what it should roughly look like, here's an example – except
- 02:02
instead of just fastening on the cards like this, you'll want to cut them into a super-effective [Red cross appears over the wrong design]
- 02:06
wind-catching blade shape.
- 02:07
Your teacher will show you how to test your turbine's blades to see how successful they are. [Teacher blowing on the blades but they don't move]
- 02:11
And if you're not happy with your results, then go right back to the drawing board and [Teacher collapses]
- 02:15
try something new.
- 02:16
After all, it's called an experiment for a reason: so you can experiment! [Girl hitting herself on the head with a pencil]
- 02:20
Once you've finished your turbine, only one question will remain:
- 02:23
What on earth were you talking to your eye doctor about??
- 02:25
Seriously, that call was a longer call than this video. [Girl still on the phone]
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