Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Dear Science Buddies,
I am doing a science fair experiment on harnessing electrical energy from the vibrations of piezo disks when a force is applied to them. I would appreciate your thoughts on the following:
1. Does an increase in the diameter of ceramic piezo disks, increase the vibration and therefore electrical energy output?
2. Is it better to wire many such disks in series or parallel circuit?
Thank you, Sen

Hi Sen,

Piezoelectric devices convert motion to electrical energy. The voltage output is usually proportional to the amount of deflection or deformation of the piezoelectric material. So changing the diameter of a piezo disk won't necessarily change the voltage output.

Wiring an array of piezo discs in parallel would be good for charging a capacitor or a battery.

I hope this helps. Please ask again if you have more questions.

A. Norman