Electrical Engineering Activities

Electric Play Dough

Students will understand the use of conductive and insulating materials to electric currents by utilizing playdough and clay. These materials can be tested with simple tools like lights and ammeters to understand how the flow of electricity is affected due to the different properties of materials.

 

Capacitor Lab

Capacitors are a common device used in electrical components to store energy. In this lab simulation, students will understand the nature and mechanics of a parallel plate capacitor when a voltage source is applied. The program can then be used to demonstrate a simulation of how a capacitor stores energy to power a light bulb.

 

Creating an Electromagnet

Electromagnets are an important component that we use on a daily basis. They are found in washing machines, refrigerators, electric toothbrushes and so much more. In this activity students will understand how an electromagnet works by generating a magnetic field with a battery, wire, and steel nail. This magnetic field then can be used to pick up paper clips that can be studied and altered to generate a stronger field to pick up a greater amount of paper clips.

 

Flying Tinsel

In this activity, students will understand the charging and discharging effect when generating a voltage through static electricity. This is shown through the demonstration of charging the tinsel that creates a repulsive force between the tinsel and the pan causing the tinsel to levitate.

Build an Electromagnetic Train

In this activity students will understand how an electromagnetic force can be generated with a copper wire and battery. This force can then be utilized to form a train where magnets attached to a small battery are able to travel through the magnetic field generated by the wire.

 

Circuit Construction Kit Simulator

In this simulation students will be able to build a circuit to understand the different components that make up a circuit. These components can then be altered in a series or parallel configuration to demonstrate kirchhoff's law and how they affect output voltage.

 

Using Arduino Simulators

List of simulators to provide the first steps of programing for arduino microcontrollers. The provided link focuses on the use of the Proteus arduino simulator providing a list for key functions that can be utilized when programming an arduino.

Tiny Dancers

Students will be able to generate an electromagnetic motor that can be utilized to make a character of their choice spin around. From this activity, students will be able to understand how an applied current from a battery can generate an electromagnetic field creating a phenomenon known as the Lorenz force.

 

Ohm's Law

Students will observe the effect ohm's law has on the output voltage of a circuit by observing the intensity of a light bulb in this hands-on activity. Students will be given a set of supplies to build a simple circuit that can be connected in series or parallel then observed how the intensity of light changes with each configuration.

 

Circuit Construction Kit Simulator

In this simulation students will be able to build a circuit to understand the different components that make up a circuit. These components can then be altered in a series or parallel configuration to demonstrate kirchhoff's law and how they affect output voltage.