Caldwell-West Caldwell Public Schools



Wind is an ancient energy source. The earliest ships used the wind to carry them across seas. The first windmills were built in Persia (now Iran) in the sixth century A.D. They raised water from rivers. Later, windmills were used to turn a large stone wheel that ground grains.

Today, huge windmills, or wind turbines, generate electricity. The wind turbines are grouped in clusters called wind farms. Many wind farms are in California, located in the windy mountain passes. California wind farms produce enough electrical energy for all the homes of San Francisco. By the middle of the twenty-first century, experts think that wind energy could supply up to one-fifth of the electrical energy used in the United States.

In this project, you will design blades for a windmill, build a model windmill and measure its power output.

Project Rules

• Your windmill cannot be taller, longer, or wider than 50 cm.

• You can design the blades of your windmill however you want. You may want to research the design of windmill blades before you start building yours.

• You can use a hairdryer or an electric fan (on a low setting) as a source of “wind.” This will provide an even amount of wind to your windmill.

• As your windmill turns, it must raise a load of paper clips (at least 10 large ones) to a height of at least 5 cm. You must add enough paper clips until you reach the maximum capacity for your windmill. You will need to find the exact mass of the total paperclips in grams. The mass of one large paper clip is approximately 1.5 grams. If you use a container to lift your paperclips, you must account for it when finding the mass of what was lifted.

• The length of the string that is connected to the paper clips must be 75 cm, and begin completely uncoiled on the axle.

• You will also need to keep track of how much time it takes for the paper clips to be lifted 5 cm.

• When you have finished building your windmill and collecting all your data, you will calculate the potential energy that the paper clips gained when they were lifted.

• Use the formula:

o Gravitational potential energy = Mass (g) x Gravitational acceleration (980 cm/s2) x Height (cm)

o Divide your results by 10,000 and the units of your result will be in mJ (millijoules, one thousandth of a joule).

• You will also calculate the power of your windmill.

• Use the formula:

o Power = Energy (mJ) ÷ Time (s)

o The units of your result will be in mW (milliwatt, one thousandth of a watt).

• You must present your windmill to the class. Your presentation should include:

o You must have either a note card or a piece of paper with exactly what you are going to say on it; this will be collected.

o A description of all of the modifications that you made.

o An understanding of energy transformation (how and when changes in potential and kinetic energy occurred), how friction affected it, and how the law of conservation of energy applies. This means that you will have to use all of these words during your presentation to the class.

o A drawing of your windmill.

▪ The drawing should be on a piece of paper no larger than 11 ½ x 17 (legal size paper)

▪ The drawing must have a title, as well as be neat and colorful.

▪ The drawing should indicate the following measurements:

• Height of windmill

• Width of windmill

• Length of windmill

• A list of materials used to build it

• The maximum amount of mass it can lift 5 cm

• The potential energy gained by the paper clips in millijoules – you must show your work for this!

• The power of the windmill in milliwatts – you must show your work for this!

Suggested Materials

• Be creative when selecting materials to use for your windmills. Some possibilities are cereal boxes, thumbtacks, string, sandpaper, cardboard, thread, balsa wood, paperclips, glue, straws, dowels, and screws.

• You will also need a timing device, a measuring device that measures in metric units, and a scale that measures in metric units (you can always use mine at lunch or after school).

Project Hints

• Before you begin building your windmill, you should write out a design plan that includes the materials you plan to use, and a sketch of your basic windmill. Decide how many blades you want to use and the shape they should be in.

• You must make several modifications to your windmill. You want to make the most powerful windmill possible (one that will lift the most amount of paperclips 5 cm or more). Think about how you can achieve this once you have a working windmill.

• Do some research! Find out how windmills are designed and why. This will help you!

This project will count as a test grade and will be due on

Monday February 28, 2011

This project was assigned on February 9, 2011

Deadlines:

Partner Agreement February 11th

Preliminary Sketch February 14th

Class time to work on project February 15th – 18th

Final Diagram February 18th

Winding Up With Wind

Agreement for Projects Done by Two or Three Students

I am requesting permission to work with one or two other students, of my own choice, to complete the Winding Up With Wind project.

I fully understand and agree to the following:

✓ It is my responsibility, along with that of my project partner(s), to appropriately meet to plan and finish the project.

✓ Once approved, this is an irrevocable commitment. I cannot back out, and I must see the project through.

✓ My partner’s involvement will affect my grade, because all project partners will receive the same grade on all components of the project.

My partner(s)’s name(s) is/are: _______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________ ______________________

My Signature Date

Parental Agreement:

Having discussed the above requirements with my child, I support his/her decision to complete the Winding Up With Wind project in partnership with the classmate(s) named above.

___________________________________________ ______________________

My Parent’s Signature Date

***This is due back no later than Friday February 11, 2011***

Rubric for grading

|Windmill Building |Student follows all Project Rules, |Student follows most of the |Student follows some of the |Student did not follow many of the|

| |and work shows evidence of having |Project Rules, and work shows |Project Rules, and work shows |Project Rules, and work shows |

| |thoroughly tested and modified the |evidence of having tested and |evidence of having tested and |little evidence of having tested |

| |windmill |modified the windmill. |modified the windmill. |and modified the windmill. |

| |25 pts |19 pts |13 pts |7 pts |

|Appearance/ Creativity |Windmill looks very neat and |Windmill looks neat and |Windmill looks somewhat neat and |Windmill does not look neat or |

| |professional; student use of |professional; student use of |professional; student use of |professional; student use of |

| |materials and design is |materials and design is very |materials and design is creative. |materials and design is not very |

| |extraordinarily creative. |creative. |13 pts |creative. |

| |25 pts |19 pts | |7 pts |

|Diagram |Sketch of windmill is neat, |Sketch of windmill is somewhat |Sketch of windmill is somewhat |Sketch of windmill is not neat or |

| |colorful, and includes all of the |neat, colorful, and includes all |neat, colorful, and/or includes |colorful, and is missing more than|

| |following: a title, an illustration|but one of the following: a title,|all but two of the following: a |two of the following: a title, an |

| |of the windmill, the length, width,|an illustration of the windmill, |title, an illustration of the |illustration of the windmill, the |

| |and height of the windmill, a list |the length, width, and height of |windmill, the length, width, and |length, width, and height of the |

| |of materials used, the maximum mass|the windmill, a list of materials |height of the windmill, a list of |windmill, a list of materials |

| |it can lift, the potential energy |used, the maximum mass it can |materials used, the maximum mass |used, the maximum mass it can |

| |in mJ, and the power in mW. |lift, the potential energy in mJ, |it can lift, the potential energy |lift, the potential energy in mJ, |

| |25 pts |and the power in mW. |in mJ, and the power in mW. |and the power in mW. |

| | |19 pts |13 pts |7 pts |

|Project Presentation/ |Presentation is thorough and well |Presentation is adequate. Student|Presentation appropriate, but is |Presentation is inappropriate and |

|Demonstration |organized. Student communicates |communicates most of the required |hard to follow. Student |hard to follow. Student |

| |all required terminology and |terminology and modifications |communicates some of the required |communicates a few of the required|

| |modifications made. Windmill |made. Windmill successfully lifts|terminology and modifications |terminology and modifications |

| |successfully lifts at least 10 |between 8-9 large paper clips. |made. Windmill successfully lifts|made. Windmill successfully lifts |

| |large paperclips. |19 pts |between 5-7 large paper clips. |less than 5 large paper clips. |

| |25 pts | |13 pts |7 pts |

Final Grade_____________________________

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