Lesson 10: Motors and Electric Generation

Engage

Looking at the gif on the right. 

If this is how current can be generated, how can it be converted back into movement?

Electric Generators

Electric generators uses electromagnetism in the opposite way to an electric motor.
They use spin and rotation to generator electrical current.

Electric Dynamo

A dynamo is a small type of generator. 

It uses two perminent magnets to spin a central coil of wires.

As the coil of wires spin the electrons inside are affected and can move along a wire.

A AC generator is simple, everything just nees to be wired up.

A DC generator needs gaps in the connection to prevent electrons flowing back and forth.

The top image shows an AC generator. As the magnetic field affects the electrson in the coil they begin to move within the circuit slowly getting faster. However after the coil has spun to be affected by the other pole of the magnetic the charge affecting it changes causing the electrons to reverse direction. This creates an AC current.

The bottom image shows a DC generator. Notice all the wires are not connected. As the electrons begin to spin around the wire due to movement of coils between the wires instead of reversing direction the connection of the coil is broken and restarted allowing it to flow in a single direction. It may still slow down as a result but all be the same direction.
(Expaned instruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq2zjmS8UMI)