How is mechanical energy converted to electrical energy

This experiment simulates Tesla's electric coil. To provide learners with background about Tesla, this lesson guide suggests learners watch clips from the film "Tesla: Master of Lightning," take an online interactive tour of Tesla's Niagara Power System, and create a diagram of how a dam generates electricity.

Use this lesson to demonstrate the Law of Conservation of Energy. The generator is based on the principle of "electromagnetic induction" discovered in by Michael Faraday, a British scientist. Faraday discovered that if an electric conductor, like a copper wire, is moved through a magnetic field, electric current will flow be induced in the conductor. So the mechanical energy of the moving wire is converted into the electric energy of the current that flows in the wire.

Please Note: Our interactive Generator is best viewed on a computer and may take awhile to download. The world's first hydroelectric generator, designed by Nikola Tesla and built by George Westinghouse, is located at Niagara Falls. It generates about 4. It's very easy to construct a generator. Many designs are possible, but one of the easiest consists of a stationary coil and a rotating magnet.

The wires are wound around a nail coated with insulting tape, and the magnet can be a simple horseshoe-shaped one. When you drill a hole through the base of the magnet, insert a tight-fitting shaft and attach the shaft to a drill, you can generate enough electricity to light a bulb just by operating the drill to make the magnet rotate around the coil.

Chris Deziel holds a Bachelor's degree in physics and a Master's degree in Humanities, He has taught science, math and English at the university level, both in his native Canada and in Japan. He began writing online in , offering information in scientific, cultural and practical topics. His writing covers science, math and home improvement and design, as well as religion and the oriental healing arts.

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