My 15 year old has to do a project in physics, and he’s interested in doing some study / simple experiment on solar energy. It need not be very high-tech. Any ideas ?
My 15 year old has to do a project in physics, and he’s interested in doing some study / simple experiment on solar energy. It need not be very high-tech. Any ideas ?
im a high school student in d philippines…..we hve conducted an investigatory project, like d solar charger (that d other grup made). they use the solar energy for making a handy dandy charger. research bout the structure of the ordinary charger and the effect of the solar energy on it. or he can also make a stove powered by the solar energy. dat project is very effective nowadays. it is very easy to make it so u dont hve to expense so much or u dont hve to conduct many processes…..
hope that’ll help….
solar water heater. In its most basic form, all you need is a container (say a large plastic milk bottle) that needs to be painted black. You can put this in the sun, and besides it another, unpainted bottle, both full of water. And measure the water temperature after a couple hours. Very easy, and goes to show (harnessing just 1/12’000th of the solar energy that reaches the Earth would cover all of mankind’s energy needs).
Needless to say, a container that will be broad and flat and well insulated, will work better than one that’s be thin and poorly insulated. Experiments could be made with plastic (better insulator) or metal (poor insulator).
a better model can be built by putting a plastic pipe (say, garden hose) in the shape of alternate "S"’s in between to plastic sheets, the upper one dark / painted black, and this will heat water faster, the water being in a bottle connected to the hose. But the problem is that you need to get the water circulating… By the way a professionally built version of this can be used to cover about two thirds of a family’s hot water needs with a mere 15 sq.ft of panels per person (makes you wonder why not everyone does it).
More sophisticated uses would be to build a concave mirror to heat water / cook food but this is a much more complex project, beyond the scope of a quick high school thing.
Another idea would be to buy a cheap / small photovoltaic cell, and connect that to a motor, or a lamp, or something. But I can’t tell you where to find those in your area.
Hope this helps
a
i failed that class cant help u there sorry!
Get a cheap, even 2nd hand, old mobile phone and convert the charger
Don’t forget to think about the science, the experiment. Learn something about solar energy and see what ideas intrigue him. Questions will naturally arise. Photovoltaic cells are expensive. Is it better to have 3 cells or 1 cell and 2 mirrors? How much do I gain by having the cell track the angle of the sun? How can I make it track? Can I put them on top of thermal solar collectors and collect heat as well as electricity?
If you’re lucky enough to have a solar demonstration project or a company involved in solar energy in any way in your area, you can gain a lot from some visits. They’re usually happy to help and can often provide samples free.
The point of the whole thing is to learn something about the subject, practice the scientific method, write and communicate the results. Take it seriously. It’s sometimes the best part of a science education.