CSO Austin, from Pennsylvania, recently told us about an amazing project of his! He built an “epic electromagnetism contraption” as a physics project.
Way to go, Austin! Here’s more information from his presentation about the project:
The epic electromagnetism contraption that CSO Austin built:
Watch the video to learn more.
“I’ve always been fascinated with magnetism and the power it potentially possesses. So, this project truly interests me and is enjoyable to work through it. But, of course, background research was necessary to design the contraption and learn how to harness & convert magnetism power.
“A change in a magnetic field causes an induction of movement of electrons in a conductor such as copper wire. By increasing the number of coils of wire wound about the magnet, I can effectively increase the magnetic flux (Φ) of the system, because the surface area of the magnetized object is being increased. This is proven by the magnetic flux equation Φ=BAcosθ, where A represents surface area and B represents the magnetic field itself. So, to harness as much electromagnetic current in the wire, I will coil the wire around the magnet as much as I can.
“Here’s how my contraption works:
- I pedal the bike on the track stand which in turn rotates the wheel and the track stand cylinder.
- As the track stand cylinder rotates, it spins a rod connected to the magnets.
- As the magnets spins pole-over-pole, the magnetic field changes, inducing an electric current in the copper wire wound around the magnet.
- The current runs through the wire until it is fed into an inverter. This inverter converts the generated direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC), which is what our phones utilize from wall electrical outlets.
- The phone charger is plugged into the inverter and runs to the phone, which is plugged into the charger.
- Phone ultimately charges! All from riding a bike and creating a changing magnetic field!
“I put A TON of time into this project, with much trial and error and failing. But the end product is pretty awesome and it does work!”
Students, are you fascinated by science? Want to connect with other kids around the world who are too? Learn more about bringing the Chief Science Officers program to your school.
