FCJJ-38 - Thermal Power Science Kit

Experiments: 6
Lesson time: 2-4 hours
Teacher's guide: 16 pages
Student's guide: 12 pages

Materials provided: hands-on lab activities, teacher's guides and student's guides.

Concepts covered: current/voltage, energy, heat, Ohm's Law, thermal energy and renewable energy.

Curriculum questions and content:

• What is a Peltier module and what is the Seebeck effect? A Peltier module is an electrical component made with semiconductor material. It is used to create heat when electricity is applied. The Seebeck effect describes the appearance of a current at the junction between two materials when crossed by a heat flow.
• What is a dipole and which types exist? A dipole is an electrical component with two terminals. Dipoles can be active, able to generate electrical current, or passive, able to receive current.
• What is a semiconductor and what is a PN junction? A semiconductor is a material with a specific atomic structure that reacts to its environment; when it receives energy, electrons move to the conduction band and can flow through the material. The PN junction is part of this electrical behavior.
• What is the generator's central component and which effect does it use? The central component is a Peltier module and it works through the Seebeck effect, which complements the Peltier effect.