Interview?

[rjbaldwin]

Hi. For my science fair project I have to interview someone. My project is what effect does rotational speed have on the amount of electricity produced by different types of generators. The person I have to interview has to either be employed in a field related to my topic, a person with 1 or more years of experiance related to my topic, or anyone with 1 or more years in college related to my topic. These are my topics.

1. What is your name and title?

2. Do you think this topic is interesting, useful, or important? If so, why?

3. When did you first study/learn about generators?

4. What are some important things you have learned about this topic?

5. How can knowledge about this topic be applied to every day life?

6. Is water faster than wind?

7. What are some negatives to hydroelectric power and wind turbines?

8. How do generators help people in everyday life?

Thank you very much.

[deleted-71709]

Hello,

While I no longer directly work in the field of generators, I used to design small motor-generator sets, the ones you find in RVs. Here are my answers to your questions:

1. What is your name and title? Ed Neu, Executive Director, Product Development, Seagate Technology

2. Do you think this topic is interesting, useful, or important? If so, why? It is quite interesting, and very important. Much of our modern world runs on electricity. Being able to produce it efficiently is very important. The rotational speed of a generator is an important part of the physics of the generation of electricity that control that.

3. When did you first study/learn about generators? When I was a Cub Scout, back when I was just 10 years old, I remember building a generator with my Dad.

4. What are some important things you have learned about this topic? To design and build a good generator you need to know a lot about the physics of magneto-electrics. You need good materials - high quality iron for the cores and good copper for the the windings. You need excellent insulating materials to keep the windings from shorting out to one another, especially when the generator gets hot from creating lots of electricity.

5. How can knowledge about this topic be applied to every day life? Your car uses a "generator" to keep that battery charged and to run the lights and provide spark to your engine. It's a special kind of generator called an "alternator". As your car goes faster and slower, the alternator runs at different speeds. This creates changing amounts of electricity and varying voltages. So that your lights don't go dim when you slow down, the alternator is designed with special controls that keep the lights the same brightness. This is just one way this technology affects your everyday life.

6. Is water faster than wind? This is a tricky question. It all depends how how hard you push them - that is, how much energy you put into them. The wind flowing over the wing of a supersonic airplane is very fast compared to water trickling down your back when you climb our of a swimming pool. That's because the wind is pushed over the airplane wing with very strong engines, and only a small amount of gravity is pulling the water down your back. On the other hand, the water being force out of the end of a fire hose goes so fast, with so much force, it can rise 50 feet or more, and the soft breeze that drifts through your garden on a calm summer day can parely move the leaves of your flowers.

7. What are some negatives to hydroelectric power and wind turbines? Wind energy is nearly free. You can get in almost any place, but some times the wind doesn't blow. This is a negative. Hydroelectric power cannot be found in a lot of places. I requires that water changes elevation, so you need hills, or huge man-made dams that are very tall and expensive. This is a negative.

8. How do generators help people in everyday life? They create the electricity that run our computers, our iPods, our washing machines. They create the electricity that lights our schools and run our TVs. Electricity runs our factories that make all the things that make our life comfortable. It keeps our food from spoiling in refrigerators, and keeps us cool in the summer with air conditioning and warm in the winter. Even if we have a gas furnace in our house, it depends on electricity to run the fan that moves the warm air around the house. There are so many, many ways we use electricity every day, and nearly all of it comes from generators. Some are run by the wind, some by hydro power, some by steam made from coal or gas or even atomic energy. But they are all generators.

I hope this helps you.

Ed Neu
Buffalo, MN

[rjbaldwin]

Thank you so much. This helps me a lot.

[The1Cormac07]

Hello rjbaldwin how are you?????????????????? lol

From your bfffff

[mkhammer4u]

oh, hey rjbaldwin... you don't remember me but me and my bf's call you tommy because you look like my brother, tommy.

[rjbaldwin]

um ok. do i know you?

[mkhammer4u]

ya... me... that annoying 6th grader that said "sup" when you got your books. man, i sound weird right now so i will leave you alone... see ya 2mmorow!

[Ranger]

Hi

[mkhammer4u]

heeeeeeeeeey

[deleted-41736]

Hey rj its sidney

[rjbaldwin]

uh why are all the sixth graders on my interview?

[Ranger]

Hi Sidney, mk, and rj. I know all you from school.

[Ranger]

I do not know why I am on your interview.