three young children and an older man looking at a tablet

Parental Note: This experiment is geared towards ages 9 and up. The project may require some parental help when dealing with the cutting of sure objects (i.eastward- spoons, Styrofoam wheel) and also the use of a hot glue gun.

Experiment Overview:

Thanks to the water cycle, water is considered ane of our planet's renewable resources, similarly to the dominicus. And like the sun, water tin exist utilized to generate ability. In fact, hydropower was one of the first sources of free energy used to create electricity. Hydropower works by using flowing water to motility a turbine. At domicile, you lot can learn how to use water to move an object by creating a water wheel!

As water flows and spins a water cycle, the pace of its spin and the kinetic energy is converted into electricity. If you accept ever seen a water wheel, you know that they usually consist of ii big wooden or metallic wheels that have paddles or buckets arranged along the outside border or rim of the wheels. The strength of the water pushes the wheel and therefore creates motion along the beam. The move of the wheel turns the axle located in the eye of the water wheel (much similar the wind turbine from a previous experiment) and transfers the energy to a drive belt or a system of gears that operates an additional system. The additional system usually does some sort of work such every bit: grinding flour for baking, grinding lurid to make newspaper, preparing fibers to make clothes.

Information technology is important to annotation that while water wheels are not commonly used in our electric current, modern mode of life, the scientific discipline behind h2o wheels is used in hydroelectric dams. With the basic knowledge behind the water wheel and how it works, you can create your own at home.

Experiment Materials:

  • 8-10 plastic spoons
  • 1 Styrofoam deejay or a dry foam disk (Click here for an example)
  • 2 plastic plates
  • 1 Dowel rod or wooden skewer
  • 1 medium sized bucket
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Marking
  • Safety glasses/goggles
  • Optional:
    • 12-inch string
    • Record
    • Newspaper prune

Experiment Process:

circle of foam on red plastic plate

Step i

First, fix the Styrofoam or dry foam deejay to be the center of the water wheel. To do this, cut the foam to be nigh the same width as your spoons. You lot are besides going to need to brand certain the disk is smaller than your plastic plates. If the Styrofoam/cream disk is already the correct width and size, feel free to skip this step.

Annotation: Kids may demand aid from an developed when cut the disk.

measuring white plastic spoon against foam circle

full size white plastic spoon next to top half of second white plastic spoon

Stride 2

Next, gear up the 8-ten plastic spoons to become the buckets/paddles that move the axle. Cut each spoon so that it can be placed inside the cream. Try to cut each spoon near the same size.

  • Kids WILL need assistance from an adult on this step because the spoons can be tricky to cut.
  • Kids WILL also need to put on prophylactic goggles/glasses in case a slice of the spoon goes flight into the air. Stay safe while doing science!

foam circle with plastic spoons poked into it

Pace three

Push the spoons into the foam disk. Brand certain all of the spoons are facing the aforementioned direction and are evenly spaced around the disk. Use the moving-picture show below as a reference.

Annotation: If the spoons are not staying firmly in the disk, hot glue them in place. You may demand aid from an adult to hot glue the spoons.

two red plastic plates with lines and hole in the middle next to foam circle with spoons

Step 4

The next pace is to brand holes for the dowel rod/wooden skewer to go through the discs so the cycle tin can spin. Observe the center of the two plastic plates and the foam disk. Use a ruler and marker to draw lines connecting the centre of the plate. See the picture show below.

After you observe the centers of each object, advisedly cut a small hole in each of the items. The hole must be big plenty for the dowel rod to go through easily, but minor enough so that information technology fits snuggly.

Annotation: Kids may need adult assistance cutting the holes into the plates and foam disk.

foam circle with spoons on top of red plastic plate

Step five

Earlier y'all put the dowel rod into the water wheel, secure all of the working parts. With a hot glue gun, hot glue your plates to the sides of your foam disk. Make certain the holes align and then that in the next step, you lot can insert the axle. Make sure your plates are completely dry earlier you lot move onto the next footstep.

Note: Parental aid may be needed with this step due to the use of a hot glue gun.

red plastic plate on top of foam circle with spoons side view of two red plastic plates sandwiching the foam circle with spoons

foam circle with spoons in between two red plastic plates with dowel through the middle

Pace 6

In this step, place the dowel rod or skewer through the center of your bicycle. When the rod is in place, make sure information technology fits snuggly.

foam circle with spoons in between two red plastic plates with dowel through it in red bucket

Step 7

At present, y'all are ready to test out the h2o cycle! Identify your wheel in a bucket or sink where you can access water. Slowly turn on the water and watch the wheel spin. Note: the dowel rod needs to be placed so that it tin exist gratis standing and not fall over when the water is turned on. If your sink is too large, use a suitable bucket.

foam circle with spoons in between two red plastic plates with dowel through it with string and paper clip tied to it

Stride 8 - Optional

If yous would like to better understand how a h2o wheel creates and transfers energy, tie and record a piece of string to the terminate of the beam, and and then attach a paper clip to the other end. When the water moves the wheel, it will brainstorm to spin the yarn and paperclip towards the top of the bucket or top of the sink. Almost water wheels were used to ability a separate system. (In this extension, the water wheel was used to pull up / move a paper clip)   .

close view of water wheel experiment showing string on dowel
See how the cord wraps around the dowel rod and is closer to the side of the bucket.
close view of water wheel experiment pulling paper clip up
As the water wheel spins, it pulls the paper prune up out of the h2o and closer to the water wheel.

Conclusions:

At present that you're done, permit'south review the main components of a h2o bicycle.

  • The blades/buckets of the wheel must exist created in a manner so that they can grab the water and create motion.
  • The water bicycle must have an beam that is able to rotate/move to generate energy.
  • The axle is ordinarily attached to another system to harness the free energy created.

Even though water wheels are not commonly used today, because it was a unproblematic, easily synthetic car, information technology helped build the foundations of harnessing water to generate movement or energy. Now that you lot know then much nigh water wheels and the main parts and workings, practice you think you could create a different version? Mayhap 1 that is bigger and powers/moves a different object? You can research different water wheels throughout history and use your cognition to try and create more of your own.

Extension:

Variations to the Project

Parents, feel free to endeavor the post-obit variations to this project:

  • Endeavour using unlike materials to create the h2o wheel. Volition it piece of work by but using the foam deejay, axle, and the spoons?
  • When turning your water bicycle with h2o, try to vary the speed/force. Brand the correlation between the forcefulness/amount of water and the speed of the h2o wheel.
  • You can also vary the items used as the saucepan/paddle. In this experiment we used spoons, but what if nosotros used popsicle sticks or plastic cups?

Study/Extension Questions:

  1. What are the main components of a water wheel?
  2. How does the bicycle generate energy?
  3. What is the history of the H2o Wheel? How far dorsum in history tin can nosotros run across the Water Wheel?
  4. Why practise y'all think we take stopped using water wheels?
  5. What is a hydroelectric dam and how does information technology work? How is information technology like a water cycle?

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