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Page|1 TeacherNotes–ElectricCars–DeakinUniversity

T E A C H E R N O T E S

Electriccars

Overview/IntroductionBoxHillSecondaryCollegewantedanactivityinvestigatingelectriccircuitsinparallelandinseries.

Itisintendedthattheactivityherewoldbeembeddedinamoduleonelectriccircuitsandwouldextendoverseverallessons,withanintroductiontoelectriccircuitsinparallelandinseries,studentsworkinginteamstomakeapropellercar,andthentestingvariouscombinationsofbatteries(bothinparallelandinseries,oracombinationofparallelandseries),analysingresultsandcommunicatingtheirresults.

CurriculumOutcomes:AustralianCurriculumF-10Levels8

ScienceUnderstanding:Physicalsciences• Energyappearsindifferentforms,includingmovement(kinetic

energy),heatandpotentialenergy,andenergytransformationsandtransferscausechangewithinsystems(ACSSU155)

ScienceInquirySkills:Processingandanalysingdataandinformation

• Constructandusearangeofrepresentations,includinggraphs,keysandmodelstorepresentandanalysepatternsorrelationshipsindatausingdigitaltechnologiesasappropriate(ACSIS144)

• Summarisedata,fromstudents’owninvestigationsandsecondarysources,andusescientificunderstandingtoidentifyrelationshipsanddrawconclusionsbasedonevidence(ACSIS145)


ScienceInquirySkills:Evaluating• Reflectonscientificinvestigationsincludingevaluatingthe

qualityofthedatacollected,andidentifyingimprovements(ACSIS146)

• Usescientificknowledgeandfindingsfrominvestigationstoevaluateclaimsbasedonevidence(ACSIS234)

ScienceInquirySkills:Communicating• Communicateideas,findingsandevidencebasedsolutionsto

problemsusingscientificlanguage,andrepresentations,usingdigitaltechnologiesasappropriate(ACSIS148)

CurriculumOutcomes:VictorianCurriculumF-10Levels7and8

ScienceUnderstanding:Physicalsciences• Energyappearsindifferentformsincludingmovement(kinetic

energy),heat,light,chemicalenergyandpotentialenergy;devicescanchangeenergyfromoneformtoanother(VCSSU104)

Levels9and10

ScienceUnderstanding:Physicalsciences• Electriccircuitscanbedesignedfordiversepurposesusing

differentcomponents;theoperationofcircuitscanbeexplainedbytheconceptsofvoltageandcurrent(VCSSU130)

ScienceInquirySkills:Planningandconducting• [Partial]Independentlyplan,selectanduseappropriate

investigationtypes,includingfieldworkandlaboratoryexperimentation,tocollectreliabledata,assessriskandaddressethicalissuesassociatedwiththeseinvestigationtypes(VCSIS135)

• [Partial]Selectanduseappropriateequipmentandtechnologiestosystematicallycollectandrecordaccurateandreliabledata,anduserepeattrialstoimproveaccuracy,precisionandreliability(VCSIS136)


ScienceInquirySkills:Recordingandprocessing• Constructandusearangeofrepresentations,includinggraphs,

keys,modelsandformulas,torecordandsummarisedatafromstudents’owninvestigationsandsecondarysources,torepresentqualitativeandquantitativepatternsorrelationships,anddistinguishbetweendiscreteandcontinuousdata(VCSIS137)

ScienceInquirySkills:Analysingandevaluating• Analysepatternsandtrendsindata,includingdescribing

relationshipsbetweenvariables,identifyinginconsistenciesindataandsourcesofuncertainty,anddrawingconclusionsthatareconsistentwithevidence(VCSIS138)

• Useknowledgeofscientificconceptstoevaluateinvestigationconclusions,includingassessingtheapproachesusedtosolveproblems,criticallyanalysingthevalidityofinformationobtainedfromprimaryandsecondarysources,suggestingpossiblealternativeexplanationsanddescribingspecificwaystoimprovethequalityofdata(VCSIS139)

ScienceInquirySkills:Communicating• Communicatescientificideasandinformationforaparticular

purpose,includingconstructingevidence-basedargumentsandusingappropriatescientificlanguage,conventionsandrepresentations(VCSIS140)

Teachingandlearningconceptforthelaboratorylearningactivity

Studentsuseahomemadeelectriccar,whichhasbeenassembledinaprevioussession.Theycantesttheeffectofchangingthenumberofbatteriesinthepowersourceandtheeffectofconnectingbatteriesinparallelandseriescircuits.

Thisisdifferentfromthenormalwayoftestingtheeffectofhavingtheload(workingcomponents)inparallelandseriescircuits.


KeyConceptsElectriccircuit.Thesimplestelectriccircuithasapowersource(likeabattery)andsomeothercomponent(likeanmotororlight).Thepowersource(likeabattery)andothercomponent(s)areconnectedbywiressothewholecircuitformsacontinuousloop.Morecomplicatedelectriccircuitsmighthaveseveralpowersourcesand/orseveralothercomponentsconnectedinmorethanoneinterconnectingloops.

Parallel.Powersourcesorothercomponentsareconnectedinparallel,whentheyareconnectedhead-to-headandtail-to-tailliketwoside-by-sidehorsespullingawagon.


Series.Powersourcesorothercomponentsareconnectedinseries,whentheyareconnectedhead-to-tailliketraincarriages.

Backgroundinformation

ScienceconceptsMoreformationaboutelectriccircuitscanbefoundat:

ThePhysicsClassroom.<http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/Lesson-2/What-is-an-Electric-Circuit>.Teachersandstudentsmayusethematerialonline,butdownloadingmaterialisnotpermitted.

TheForDummieswebsitebythepublisher,JohnWileyandSons.<http://www.dummies.com/programming/electronics/components/what-is-an-electronic-circuit/>.Downloading/copying/storing/etcmaterialisnotpermitted.

Region10ESC’sYouTubevideoaboutelectriccircuits<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnnpLaKsqGU>.

PaulAndersen’s(BozemanScience)YouTubevideoaboutseriesandparallelcircuits<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2EuYqj_0Uk>.

crazyPT’sYouTubevideoonhowtomakeasimplebattery-poweredpropeller-drivencar<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voT-xADi-RE>.

AschoolsciencecompetitionMelanieKindley(2016),“Formula-APropellerDrivenCarRace”,MissionHeightsJuniorCollege(Auckland,NewZealand)<http://www.mhjc.school.nz/index.php/2016/12/07/formula-a-propeller-driven-car-race/>.Updated7December2016.

Materials¨ Fan-drivenvehicle;¨ Rulers;¨ Stopwatches;¨ Measuringtapes;¨ Ramps–planksofwood;¨ Voltmeters(ormultimeters);¨ Ammeters(ormultimeters);¨ Leadswithalligatorclips;


¨ Safetyglasses.

RiskmanagementThemainhazardisthespinningpropeller,whichmaybehardtosee.

Studentsmustwearsafetyglasses/goggles.Theyareinstructedtokeepfacesandhandsawayfromthespinningpropeller.

ActivityStudentsusevoltmetersandammeterstomeasurevoltagedropsacrossandcurrentsthroughvariouscomponents.

Studentswillproposeandconductvariousteststomeasuretheperformanceofthecarwhenchangingthepowersourcecircuitry.Possibilitiesare:

¨ Observationsofpropellerspeed(actuallyspinrate)–forexample,soundofengine,visualimpressionofspinningpropeller,tactileimpressionofwindfrompropellerblowingacrossskin.

¨ Measurementsofspeedofcar.¨ Measurementsofabilityofcartoclimbaninclinedramp.

ExpectedresultsAddingbatteriesinastringincreasesthevoltage;thecurrentremainsthesame.

<http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/serial_and_parallel_battery

_configurations>

Addingbatteriesinparallel,currenthandlingandruntimeincreaseswhilethevoltagestaysthesame.


<http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/serial_and_parallel_battery

_configurations>

DifficultiesHavinggoodaxlesandwheelsiscrucial.Thebatteriesandmotorarerelativelyheavy,sothepushfromthefanmightbeinsufficienttomovethecarwithonlyoneortwobatteries.

Theconstructionofthepropellercanbetricky.Itisgoodideafortheteacher(orlaboratorytechnician)practicemakingoneortwopropellorsbeforetheclass.

CopyrightandCreativeCommonsThemoralrightsoftheauthors,KieranLim,PetaWhite,JohnLongandIanBentley,havebeenassertedundertheAustralianCopyrightAct1968(Cth).Exceptinglogos,trademarksorotherthird-partycontentasindicated,thisresourceisdistributedunderaCreativeCommons‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’4.0InternationalLicense.