To read more about solar energy, renewable energy and nonrenewable energy, click on the picture above to access the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Kid's Page.
A lot of excitement in Mr. Beierle's class today! We began digging deeper into solar energy with Legos. We are currently building a solar powered Ferris wheel. We will use it to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy. We will then build solar cars and lifts. In our exploration we will calculate rotations per minute (RPM) and work done (work done/joules = Force (N) x Distance (m) moved in the direction of the force).
To read more about solar energy, renewable energy and nonrenewable energy, click on the picture above to access the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Kid's Page.
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Solar energy, radiant light and heat collected from the Sun, can be used to do many things. It can even be converted to electricity! Photovoltaics is the method of converting solar radiation to direct current electricity using a semiconductor like a solar panel. This energy can then be converted to electricity to do things like light lightbulbs, heat water, and more. The following explanation of collecting solar energy comes from Wonderville. Read on to find out more about collecting solar energy. When you have finished, play the game Solar Energy Defenders! The amount of electricity collected or used can be measured in Kilowatt hours (kWh). There are many factors that can affect the amount of electricity generated by a solar module. The solar altitude, how high in the sky the sun is, can be measured as an angle from the horizon. This angle changes over the course of the day as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The angle will also change during the different seasons. The sun will be lower in the horizon in the winter and higher in the summer. To get the most from a solar module, it needs to be pointed in the direction that captures the most sun. More energy can be captured during the whole year by adjusting the tilt of the panels according to the season and selecting an angle that matches the solar zenith or solar noon, the time of day when the sun is at its peak. Light travels outward from a source such as the sun and continues unless blocked by an opaque material. Opaque materials cast shadows and need to be considered when placing a solar module. A typical solar module is made up of 60 individual cells connected in series. This means, every device must function for the circuit to be complete. So if a shadow is cast on a portion of a solar module no electricity can be generated. In most environments it is difficult to find a location where no shadows will be cast. As the sun moves across the sky and as the seasons change the position and lengths of shadows also change. A rule of thumb is “be shadow free from 9 to 3”. This is the best time to generate electricity. (Wonderville, 2013) CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO PLAY THE GAME SOLAR ENERGY DEFENDERS Generally, land surfaces heat up more quickly and reach higher temperatures than water surfaces. Land surfaces cool off more quickly and can reach much lower temperatures than water surfaces as well. We saw this in our "Heating Earth Materials" investigation as the dry soil heated the fastest and also cooled the quickest while the water did not heat as quickly, but it held the heat it had absorbed longest.
Today, from our reading, we learned that temperature differences influence the movement of air masses that create weather. These differences in temperature between water and land can have some pretty interesting effects on weather and climate. How do you think large bodies of water effect weather? Post your thoughts on the wall below: Students have been using thermometers to take temperature readings in sunlight and in the shade. They found that the temperature goes up in the sun and down in the shade. The article we read in class today, Differential Heating, explains that the Sun does not heat the Earth evenly. We explored different climate regions relating our science lessons to social studies discussing how people's lives are affected by their climate. Check out our mind maps we made to discuss why the Sun doesn't heat the Earth evenly and cold climate countries. |
Course DescriptionClick on the button below to learn more about the grade five science curriculum. Module
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