Wind Makes the Wheels Go ‘Round
A mechanical engineer helps a student test the energy output of a home-made wind turbine.Copyright 2011 Margo Wright, Public Domain, United States Air Force, http://www.tinker.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/385457/youth-center-participates-in-wind-energy-experiment/
Explore the phenomenon of the natural power of wind with students as they make sense of how engineers use alternative and renewable resources in the design of a prototype for a wind powered car. Using the engineering design process, students identify the problem, brainstorm solutions, plan a design, create and test a prototype, and make improvements to their wind powered cars.
Engineers harness the power of wind as an alternative and renewable resource. There are a variety of engineers in support of successful wind engineering projects, including aerospace engineers, civil engineers, electrical engineers, environmental engineers, material engineers, mechanical engineers, and more. Understanding how to design systems to harness renewable energy is a critical component of alleviating the phenomena of climate change and global warming.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe what wind is.
- Describe how wind can be used as a renewable resource.
- Know how engineers harness wind as a natural resource for engineering designs.
- Use the engineering design process to design a wind powered car prototype.