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Lesson · Grade 7 · Science

How a Generator Works

  • Grade 7
  • Science
  • 1 min 14 s
  • British Columbia
  • BC7-SC-25

The new scene scenes/lib_sci_how_a_generator_works.py builds one labelled diagram step by step: the north and south poles of a magnet, the field lines between them, a coil of wire, and wires out to a bulb. The coil visibly spins and yellow current dots run round the circuit while the bulb glows, the current stops when the coil stops, turning faster makes it brighter, and a side card lists what gives a bigger current before showing the energy change from movement to electrical energy. It renders without errors at about 56 seconds with 14 spoken lines, ending on the recap "Coil + magnet + turning = electricity".

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In one sentence

The question this lesson answers

Most of the electricity we use is made by generators. How do they work?

Start with a magnet. It has a north pole and a south pole.

Transcript

What the lesson says

Most of the electricity we use is made by generators. How do they work?

Start with a magnet. It has a north pole and a south pole.

Between the poles there is a magnetic field. We draw it with field lines.

Now put a coil of wire between the poles.

Join the two ends of the coil to a bulb with wires.

While nothing moves, nothing happens. The bulb stays off.

Now turn the coil. In a power station, wind, water or steam does the turning.

As it turns, the coil cuts through the magnetic field lines.

This pushes an electric current through the wire, and the bulb lights up.

Stop turning, and the current stops. The bulb goes dark.

Turn the coil faster, and you get a bigger current. The bulb glows brighter.

More turns of wire, or a stronger magnet, also give a bigger current.

So a generator changes movement energy into electrical energy.

A generator makes electricity by turning a coil of wire in a magnetic field.

Curriculum

Where this fits

British Columbia, Grade 7

Science, Physics: electromagnetismBC7-SC-25

Previous: A Moving Magnet Makes a CurrentNext: Hydroelectric Power: How a Dam Makes Electricity

The outcomes and strands follow the British Columbia curriculum.

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