Schematic illustration of a wind mill.

Wind Spin

How Can the Wind Produce Energy?

 

Materials

  • pencil with a flat eraser
  • ruler
  • square sheet of paper
  • scissors
  • pushpin

Try This

  1. Draw a circle about 2 in. (5 cm) in diameter in the center of the sheet of paper. Put a dot in the center of the circle.
  2. Cut a straight line from one corner of the sheet of paper to the circle. Be sure not to cut inside the circle. Do this for all four corners of the sheet of paper.
  3. Bend every other point to the center of the circle without folding the paper. Hold the points there as you stick the pushpin through all of the points and through the center of the circle. You should have a paper windmill.
  4. Gently press the pushpin into the pencil eraser.
  5. Hold the paper windmill in front of you and blow on it. What happens?

What's Going On?

A wind turbine or windmill moves by the force of the wind. You powered the paper windmill by blowing on it. Windmills and turbines can be used as a source of energy. A spinning turbine can be used to turn a system of gears. Gears are wheels with teeth around the edges that come together and turn each other. Gears can perform a variety of jobs. Wind turbines are often used today to create electricity by moving a magnet and copper wire around each other.

Schematic illustration of a pencil with a flat eraser, scissors, and a plate.
Schematic illustration of a paper wind mill.