Education Technology


Physical Science: DC Motors

by Texas Instruments - Simulation Lesson

Objectives

  • Students will explore the parts of a motor.
  • Students will discover the relationship between the input voltage and the speed of the motor.
  • Students will experiment with the repulsion and attraction of a commutator with magnets arranged around as it spins.
  • Students will adjust the number of windings in a motor to change the strength of the electromagnet and the speed of the motor.
  • Students will explore the role of the electromagnet in a motor.

Vocabulary

  • RPM
  • DC Motor
  • Electromagnet
  • Commutator
  • Polarity
  • Electromagnetic Induction
  • Potential
  • Windings
  • Permanent Magnet
  • Power Supply
  • Rotor

About the Lesson

In this lesson, students will investigate a simple DC motor. The students will explore the parts of the motor and then adjust the voltage or windings in the motor and observe how speed is affected.

As a result, students will:

  • Examine the relationship between the voltage of a power supply and the speed of the motor.
  • Relate the direction of the spin of the rotor in the motor with the polarity of the power supply.
  • Connect the attraction and repulsion of the electromagnet in a motor with the rotation of the rotor.
  • Explore the relationship between the number of windings making the electromagnet and the speed of the rotor.