This Teacher was mentored by:www.nppd.comIn partnership with Project SHINE grant funded through theNational Science FoundationProject SHINE / SPIRIT2.0 Lesson: Splitting the Penstock=Lesson Header =Lesson Title: “Splitting the Penstock”Draft Date: June 17, 20101st Author (Writer): Tom J. Price2nd Author (Editor/Resource Finder): Instructional Component Used: Calculating the Area of a Circle (Cross-Section of a Cylinder)Grade Level: 7th or 8th GradeContent (what is taught): The rough equivalency of the area of one large circle split into two smaller congruent circles.Context (how it is taught): Groups of students will explore the diameter of PVC pipe to gain informationon splitting one large pipe (the penstock) into two smaller pipes (intakes for the generating turbines).Activity Description: A discussion on electrical energy generated from hydroelectric sources, or other sources, takes place first. The teacher will demonstrate a model of a penstock and intake turbines for the class (or the teacher may make individual kits for groups of students). Students will be able to see from the model (PVC pipe) and from pictures from the Internet how the size of a penstock for a hydroelectric power plant is related to the size of the intake pipes for the generating turbines.Standards:Science: SA1, SB3Technology: TA1, TA3Engineering: EA1, EC1, EE1Math: MC1, MD1, ME1Materials List: One piece of 1.5 inch diameter PVC plumbing pipe (about one foot in length) One 3-Y connecting piece (one connector splits pipe into three ways) with reducers (down to 1 inch diameter PVC pipe) Three pieces of 1 inch diameter PVC plumbing pipe to represent the intake pipes at a hydroelectric facility (lengths that will make the ends collinear) A source of water (faucet, beaker, or drinking cooler) would provide a reenactment of lake water flowing down to the generating turbines. Three beakers could collect the water for measurement.Asking Questions: (Splitting the Penstock)Summary: Energy is produced from a variety of sources, but all of them except solar involve some kind of turbine (generator). Groups of two or three students will answer the questions on the handout (left side of the chart shown below). Outline: Students are guided into thinking about sources of energy for electrical production, especially water (hydro) Questions are funneled down to specific measurements for penstock and intake turbinesActivity: The teacher will demonstrate a simple model of a penstock (large PVC pipe) that splits into three intakes (smaller PVC pipes). Two pictures from the Internet will show examples of a typical hydroelectric system. The teacher can either write the questions on the marker board or cut/paste on to a sheet of paper.QuestionsAnswersHow is water used to produce energy? Elevated water, like a lake, is used to flow down through a penstock to generating turbines.Why is water a useful source for generating power? Depending on the location, water is cheap, renewable, clean, and usually dependable.How do engineers calculate the specific way to transfer a large volume of water (penstock) into several smaller volumes of water (the intakes for the turbines)? Knowing the amount of water available in a given area, engineers calculate the length and size of the penstock to transfer the water to several corresponding generating turbines.Why is one penstock split into several smaller pipes, why not just have three penstocks that feed three turbine intakes?Having only one penstock saves on money as the cost of several long pipes into a water source requires more resources. Once the water is delivered to the power station, it is split into the corresponding intakes for the turbines. Resources: Wikipedia (penstock): http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstock shows a picture of several penstocks bringing water down to the turbines.US Department of Energy (types of hydropower plants): http:/www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/hydro_plant_types.htmlHow Stuff Works (Really Big Things: Hydroelectric Power) http:/videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/30198-really-big-things-hydroelectric-power-video.htmExploring Concepts: (Splitting the Penstock)Summary: Students will be given many different circles and explore the area of each. Students will then look at how the area changes when the radius changes.Outline: Students will measure the diameter and radii of many circles Students will figure the area of the circles Students will compare the radius to area and see what the relationship is between area and radius as the radius changesActivity: The teacher will provide a number of different circles to students who will measure the radius and diameter and record them. Next, the area of each circle will be calculated and record