Paving the Way for the Next Generation of Engineers One Science Fair at a Time

Many youngsters are fascinated by electronics and electricity. Our world runs on electricity. Encouraging curious youngsters to learn about this source of power is as easy as handing them a flashlight and a multi meter. They won’t need to be told to take the flashlight apart to see how it works.

A power meter is a device that is used to measure voltage, resistance, and in some cases, amperage. Voltage is the potential electric energy that is generated. Resistance is the opposition to the voltage and is measured in ohms. Amperage is the amount of electrical energy that is flowing in a circuit. An electrical circuit is a loop that includes all the components necessary to drive an electrical device.

Solar Cell
Power meters are an excellent tool to use in a science project to show results of the project. One such project is to show the relationship of different intensities of sunlight and its effect on a circuit driven by solar cells. This can be done by putting together a simple DC circuit using solar cells, a switch, and a flashlight bulb or small motor. Paper of different light blocking qualities can be used to shade the intensity of the sunlight or the artificial sunlight that is interacting with the cells. The power meter should be connected to the circuit to show the amperage, voltage, resistance, or all three.

Wind Turbine
A variation on this project is the use of wind power. Building a small wind turbine takes a little ingenuity, but it can be done. A small bicycle generator can be used for this. Blades must be fashioned to the generator in some way to harness the wind, and a fan can be used to generate the wind. The circuit can be designed in the same way as the one in the above paragraph.

Battery Power
The concept of how batteries work is another good project. This can be done by showing the voltage generated by the interaction of acid with zinc and copper electrodes. The power meter can be used to show the voltage generated; a small flashlight bulb can be used to show the utilization of the power. Soften up a lemon or other fruit by squeezing it. Insert a copper wire into one part of the fruit and a zinc nail into another part without letting them touch. By probing the ends of the nail and the copper wire with the power meter, a small voltage can be seen. Utilization of the voltage can be seen by running wires from the probe to a small flashlight bulb.

These projects are reasonably easy to put together and are very educational for the student. A parent or teacher can encourage youth to experiment and take part in science fairs and pave the way for the next generation of engineers.


Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information about Power meters, please visit http://www.hoytmeter.com/.