Industrial Technology/Exploring Technology Education
J. L. Stanford Middle School
Palo Alto, California
Teacher: Brad Booth

Electric Vehicles/ Alternative Energy

I. Panel Voltage (Measuring in Parallel)

panel A ___________

panel B ___________

II. Panel voltage (Mesuring in series)

Note: Twist one black wire from panel A with one red wire from panel B together, and measure the remaining black wire, and red wire.

A. Panel A+B ___________ Volts.

B. Compare the series voltage of two panels to panel A or B above. What happened to the voltage?

III. For the following experiments keep the two panels wired in series.

A. Measuring a Voltage Drop

1. With the panels in the sun, and the motor spinning
measure the voltage at the motor. _____________ volts.

2. Continue measuring the voltage with the motor spinning. Now slow the motor with a finger while continuing to measure the voltage. How was the voltage affected? _____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________.

Pg. 2

B. Measuring Current

1. With the panels in the sun, and the motor spinning
measure current in the circuit. _____________ amps.

2. Continue measuring the current with the motor spinning. Now slow the motor with a finger while continuing to measure the current. How was the current affected? __________________________________________________________________________________________________

C. Thinking about Watts

Note: Most of us are familiar with light bulbs rated in watts. ( example: 100 watt light bulb) Watts are one way that we calculate work or power.

Formula: Voltage measured in Volts x Current measured in Amps = Watts.

Example: 1 volt x 1 amp = 1 watt.
Calculate the watts produced by your electric vehicle.

My electric cars voltage ______ x My Electric cars amperage ______ =

________ watts.

Question: How many cars like your electric car would it take to produce the same amount of power as a normal 100 watt light bulb?

100 watts (normal light bulb) divided by _______ ( the watts produced by our

car) = ________. This is the number of cars it would take to produce the same

amount of power consumed by a 100 watt light bulb.

Question: What problems would we experience if we were to rely on solar panels to power our energy needs?

Question: What benefits would we experience if we were to rely on solar panels to power our energy needs?