Thermo-Electric Converter

Return to Entropy and the Second Law

Description:

Two small electric motors are connected to a device which takes a thermal difference and converts it into a voltage which will make a small motor with a propeller rotate. One engine is placed into reservoirs of boiling water and ice water which turns the propeller. The second engine is then placed into the ice water and a reservoir of liquid nitrogen and its propeller starts to turn. Demonstrates that work depends on reservoirs of different temperature. Students are usually surprised to see work come out of a reservoir of ice water at 0C. This helps promote the importance of the Absolute temperature scale..

Location:

• Shelf F-2