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Energy, in one form or another, is the core of our society, our culture, our lives, and our world. Without the light from the sun, our major source of energy, there would be no life on Earth. All life is dependent upon producers capturing the sun's energy and using it to convert water and carbon dioxide into simple sugars and oxygen. The food we eat and even the air we breathe, are all due to the energy of the sun. This collaborative project is designed to have middle school students examine how latitude effects the amount of power generated from a solar cell. |
Michael
spent all summer working his job so that he could have half the money for
a Nintendo 64 game. Michael's parents had promised if he saved half the
money they would match the other half for his birthday and buy him a Nintendo
64. A week after Michael got his game there was a big explosion that destroyed
a number of power plants that produce electricity. The President orders
a state of emergency on electricity. It immediately becomes apparent
to Michael that the electricity rations are not going to be enough for
him to continue to play his Nintendo. Michael must come up with an alternative
source of energy to power his game. Michael remembered from class that
his teacher had spoke about several different types of energy. She told
Michael that there are natural and man made sources of energy. She gave
some examples such as coal, gasoline, nuclear, water, wind, and the
sun. Michael decides to try solar energy (the sun). Michael presents his
idea to his science teacher. Together they come up with a simple experiment
to help him calculate how many solar cells he would need to play his Nintendo.
Can you help him?
This project has been developed by teachers from Paterson, New Jersey
in
conjunction with CIESE at Stevens Institute of Technology with support
from
the AT&T Foundation and the AT&T Learning Network.
