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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.

Language:
English Language

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]

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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