Thermoelectric effect
The thermal electric effect can be related to the BC Science 9 curriculum with the big idea ” Electric current is the flow of electric charge”.
The flow of electric charge is made by producing an energy imbalance. One source is a difference in temperature so induce a energy potential that creates an electrostatic force and thus a flow of electrons.
So in this demo, we put ice cold water in one beaker, and boiling in the other. Then by putting the thermoelectric motor in the water we can create the electric current to turn the motor.
We would do this as a demo because the kits are expensive- about 80$ each and I don’t think there are many good lab skills that students would obtain by doing it themselves.
Tips
- Make sure the water is as hot or as cold as it can be
- Give It a couple seconds to charge up – it takes a little while to start
- Make sure that the metal is a low thermal conductor – so the hot side stays hot and the cold, cold so that it is not equilibrating.
- Then you want high electrical conductivity, so the electrons will flow
Static Electricity Activities