Experiments and results

photos made by teachers and students from partner schools

cuina_solar_presentacia3_2.pdf

1/ Solar cooking

INS Joan Amigó i Callau, L`Espluga de Francoli, Spain

During the mobillity in Spain, students worked in yours to develop the following activity: cooking eggs with the sun's energy!!!

Using solar energy for cooking involves concentrating the sun's rays using special mirrors and solar panels. These devices convert sunlight into heat energy, which is used to cook food.

"Well during the project we did a lot of interesting activities about solar energy but the one that stood up the most( for me) was the moment that we fried an egg using sunlight, at first we thought that it wouldn't work but surprisingly it worked, it was really cool and of course I ate the egg, it was really delicious!" - Joana Raluca (Spain), participant e-Soleo project

Sun observations - sunrises, sunsets, shadow length - October 2024 (1).pdf

2. Sun observation

a/ Observation of sunrises and sunsets. Measuring shadow on a sunny day

Bilingual Elementary School in Warsaw-Wesoła, Poland

Throughout October students observed sunrises and sunsets. Additionally, on October 8 and 22, they measured the length of a shadow during a sunny day (8/10 and 22/10/2024).

Throughout October, Sunrises appear later and later, and sunsets appear earlier and earlier, which is consistent with the natural shortening of the day in autumn.

In October, the day length gradually reduced from 11h 37 min (01/10/24) to 9h 38 min at the end of the month (31/10/24). Thus, the length of the day was shortened by 1 hour and 59 min.

Evening hours - the number of hours after sunset increases in October, indicating increasingly longer evenings as we approach winter.

The rate of day length shortening for Warsaw - The average rate of change in day length is about 4 minutes per day and remains almost constant.

The length of the shadow is strongly dependent on the sun's elevation angle. A shorter shadow occurs at higher elevation angles, which corresponds to the noon hours of the day.

The solar azimuth angle changes predictably from sunrise to sunset, reflecting the Sun's movement across the sky. As we approach winter (compare Oct. 8 and Oct. 22), the Sun's elevation angle at noon decreases, and the length of the shadow at the same time lengthens.

b/ Ray theorem

Calculating the angle of incidence of sunlight

DIETRICH-BONHOEFFER-GYMNASIUM, Bergish Gladbach, Germany

The solar incidence angle is the angle between the sun’s rays and the normal on a surface. For a horizontal plane, the incidence angle and the zenith angle are the same

c/ Observing the Sun using a professional telescope

Bilingual Elementary School in Warsaw-Wesoła, Poland

INS Joan Amigó i Callau, L`Espluga de Francoli, Spain

Visite to the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland
Visite to the Astronomical Parc of Montsec, Spain

When viewing the Sun through a telescope with a white-light solar filter, you will be looking straight into the warmer layer of the Sun's photosphere. The hotter the gas, the brighter it will appear. However, the view at the edge (or rim) is toward the outer layers of the photosphere, where the gas is cooler and therefore appears darker. Experts say this is evidence that the Sun has an atmosphere.

3. Comparison of converted solar energy in 2024 and 2025 (data to February)

DIETRICH-BONHOEFFER-GYMNASIUM, Bergish Gladbach, Germany

The most energy is obtained in the spring and summer period

4. Activities on the physical principles of energy

DIETRICH-BONHOEFFER-GYMNASIUM, Bergish Gladbach, Germany

a/ Processes of electrical conduction in metal

When an electrical source is applied, the electrons in the conductor move in a directed direction. Their movement is hindered by the metal ions. A resistance is created.

b/ Processes of electrical conduction in gases

The photo shows the experiment at school.

The air is gradually pumped out of the tube. The electrons are accelerated by a very high voltage and can ionize gas molecules. Electrons raised to a higher energy level return to a lower state and release this energy in the form of light.The gas glows.

The gas glows.

c/ Processes of electrical conduction in a vacuum

There are no charge carriers in a vacuum. When the cathode is heated, electrons escape. These are accelerated to the screen. To make this clearer, the screen lights up green.

5. Reactions in the Sun - Sunny Chemistry workshop

Bilingual Elementary School in Warsaw-Wesoła, Poland

The process of stellar nuclear fusion is a complex series of nuclear reactions that change with temperature. The Sun is essentially a plasma ball in which some electrons have escaped from the atoms to which they are normally bound. At temperatures of about 4 million degrees Celsius, the elements lithium, beryllium, and boron are involved in the production of helium from hydrogen. At higher temperatures, around 15 million degrees Celsius, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen play key roles. If 1 gram of matter is converted into energy, E = mc2 gives us an energy value of 1 gram x (3 x 1010 cm/sec)2 which is 9 x 1020 ergs. At this rate, one millionth of the mass of the Sun will be converted into energy over the next 15 million years.

6. Solar technology on a bike trailer - How it works?

DIETRICH-BONHOEFFER-GYMNASIUM, Bergish Gladbach, Germany

The charging system consists of a single 100W solar panel placed on top of the bike trailer it tows, a 200W solar panel that is stored in the trailer until needed, and a charge controller that then powers the battery.

7. The fruit battery

DIETRICH-BONHOEFFER-GYMNASIUM, Bergish Gladbach, Germany

A fruit battery is a simple device that converts chemical energy from fruits into electrical energy. Common fruits like lemons, oranges, or apples serve as electrolytes.

Fruit batteries operate through an electrochemical reaction. Here’s a simplified breakdown:

Electrolyte: The fruit’s acidic juice serves as an electrolyte, allowing ions to move between the electrodes.
Electrodes: Inserting copper and zinc strips into the fruit creates a reaction. Zinc oxidizes, releasing electrons, while copper atoms gain electrons.
Current Flow: The movement of electrons from the zinc to the copper creates an electric current.

The voltage generated varies depending on the fruit type, with lemons and limes often producing higher voltages due to their acidity.

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