Back   Subject: Alternative Energy   Title Source Type of Material #1 Air Pressure: The Power of the Wind  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description Temperature changes cause air pressure changes, and changes in air pressure causes wind. When air is heated the molecules spread apart and it rises. When air is cooled molecules move together and it sinks. Cool air, in areas of high pressure, rushes in to replace warmer air in areas of low air pressure. This rush of air produces wind.  #2 Community Wind Project: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description There are various sizes of wind projects, and various sizes of turbines. A utility-sized wind farm could have thirty turbines or several hundred, with each turbine having 1—3 MW power capacity. A community project might consist of two to four turbines. These turbines could be utility-size or smaller. Community wind projects are owned by the people who live near the turbines and use the electricity. The community could be a town, a municipal utility, a school, a business, or any group that works together to develop the project for the benefit of the whole group.  #3 Design and Build a Barometer: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description Meteorologists know the importance of understanding air pressure when predicting weather. A barometer is an instrument used to measure the change in air pressure. Changes in air pressure cause wind and affect the weather.  #4 Design and Build a Wind Vane: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description A wind vane, or weather vane, is used to determine wind direction and it may one of the oldest weather tools. The most common wind vane is an arrow shape that rotates on an axis and points into the wind. Wind vanes are often seen on tops of buildings where the wind is not blocked. Some wind vanes also designate the directions of the compass.  #5 Discovery, Invention, Big Ideas, and Wind: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description In the 1850’s before he ran for President, Abraham Lincoln wrote and delivered a lecture called “Discoveries and Inventions”. He delivered this lecture across Illinois in cities including, Bloomington, Jacksonville, Decatur, Springfield and Pontiac. In this lecture, Lincoln said that discoveries and inventions were the result of “observation, reflections and experiment.”  #6 Kites: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description Kites have been constructed and flown for thousands of years. They have been used for fun, for military exercises, and for scientific purposes. You may know that Benjamin Franklin used a kite to show that lightning is electricity. There is also historical evidence that General Han Hsin used kites to measure distance in China more than 2200 years ago. Kites have been used to make deliveries across difficult to maneuver distances, and very large kites have even carried people.  #7 Measuring Wind Speed: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description You can observe wind speed affecting flags and trees and other objects around you, and you know that when the wind is blowing hard, tree branches move more and flags extend. In the early 1800’s Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort developed a scale for observing sails on ships to estimate wind speed. Over the next fifty years the scale was expanded to include observing sea and land conditions.  #8 Renewable Scavenger Hunt: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description All living things need energy. Plants convert the energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. Animal life (including human life) depends on plants for food energy. Humans also need and use energy for animals and machines that do work for them. For thousands of years people have burned forms of plant life for heating, cooking and light. As time progressed machines were invented that used wind and water power. We have historical evidence of falling water powering grind stones 6000 years ago. Wind pushed sailboats 5000 years ago and windmills were used to grind grain or saw wood more than 2000 years ago. All of these are examples of renewable energy.  #9 The Power of the Wind  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Curriculum for Groups  Subject: Alternative Energy Description The Power of the Wind activities involve young people in the engineering design process as they learn about the wind and its uses. Youth and Facilitator Guide available.  #10 What Causes Wind?: The Power of the Wind: Grab and Go  National 4-H Council  4-H Individual Project Curriculum, 4-H Resources  Subject: Alternative Energy Description Heat is transferred in three different ways: conduction, convection and radiation. Conduction is the transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity. Heat moves by direct contact. If you put one half of a spoon in boiling water you will notice that the end of the spoon that is not in the water is also hot. The second way that heat transfers is through convection. This is the transfer of heat by mass movement or circulation within a substance. This occurs often in gases and liquids.