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Rocky Ramos
Mrs. Stevens
Life Science
31 January 2018
Do Different Brands Affect the Speed of a Homopolar Motor?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you use different types of batteries on a

homopolar motor? Well I tested it, and I must say it was a pretty fun experiment. getting to use a

speed gun to test how fast something is going was the best part out if the whole experiment for

me . I wanted to prove that if I use a battery to affect the speed that the thing that would do it

would be a duracell battery.​ If I make a homopolar motor with Duracell battery and an

Energizer battery, then the duracell battery will make the homopolar motor spin faster?

What is a Homopolar Motor and How Does it Work?

If you research what a homopolar motor is you will find that a homopolar motor is a form

of electrical motor that controls its direct current to power something. A homopolar motor in

many cases the motor uses to magnetic rods to power something. Some have also learned that it's

called a homopolar motor because the polarity of the magnetic field created by the magnets and

the conductor do not change. The electrical current travels from the positive part of the battery

into the negative part of the battery. The wire connects at the center of the magnet and at the

edges where it connects. The motor generates energy by the direction of the current and the

magnetic field produced by the permanent direction of the current (Matt).

What Is a Battery and How Does it Work ?

I have found that a battery is a chemical pack that is self contained that produces a

limited amount of energy. A battery creates energy creates energy by slowly converting that is
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usually released over a period of days, weeks, months and in some cases it even takes a year. A

battery has two basic units to it, it has two electrodes, a chemical called electrolyte in between

them, and the batteries are usually covered within like a plastic or metal. Battery parts are always

made from different materials, but most of the time they are mostly made with plastic or metal.

The chemical electrolyte when plugged into something in most cases is then turned into other

substances and then that is used to make energy for a battery. Ions are formed from the materials

in the electrodes and take part in the chemical reaction with the electrolyte (Woodford).

How long can an average battery last? And does size affect this amount?

The general life expectancy of a battery is around five to seven years. Some signs of a

battery dying out is that after about four years it will start to stop working and then after four

years it will eventually die out (Telegraph). Within sixteen to eighteen months of not being used.

There have also been some cases where the battery dies out within one day because it was being

overcharged. With bigger batteries like car batteries they usually last ten to twelve years. When a

battery dies it doesn't really die it just fills itself with acid (batteries).

What is electrical conductivity and how does it relate to a homopolar motor?

A homopolar motor is a direct current and an electric current motor which produces

constant circular motion. A permanent magnet is attached to one terminal of a direct current

power supply in this case a triple a battery. Electrical conductivity is the degree that a specified

material conducts electricity. A conducting wire connects to the other terminal to the magnet this

completes the circuit. Based on the same general principles as the homopolar motor, railguns

have been intrest to the military (Magcraft).

How is electrical Conductivity Measured?

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Electrical Conductivity is the Ability of a Solution to Transfer an Electric Current.

Conductivity is used to measure the concentration of dissolved solids which have been ionized in

a polar solution such as water. Several means of conductivity expression have been adopted into

various industries as a way of making the units of expression into a whole. Temperature plays a

role in conductivity because ionic activity increases with temperature. Most conductivity meters

can be calibrated using a standard of a known value. (MBH engineering)

What Real World Application do Homopolar Motors Have?

The most common use of a homopolar motor is for generators that are placed in plants. In

some cases most homopolar motors are found in wind turbines. It is useful in wind turbines

because it is used to spin the turbine and generate more energy. Also in most cases a homopolar

motor is used in toys for the spinning wheels or the moving hands, head feet, eyes and etc. the

homopolar motor uses low voltage and a direct current to power the machinery (Susan).

I Hypothesize that if I make a homopolar motor with a duracell battery and an energizer

battery, then the duracell battery will make the homopolar motor spin faster.​ What I found after

conducting my experiment was that my experiment is that the duracell battery did better than the

energizer battery. The duracell battery went 1 mile per hour faster than the duracell battery. The

average speed of the batteries was about 6.47 mph. The highest the energizer battery went was

about 6.89 mph. I Hypothesized that What i found after conducting my experiment was that my

experiment is that the duracell battery did better than the energizer battery. What I found out was

that the duracell battery did in fact go faster than the Energizer battery. It was a really fun

experiment to do during the duration of the semester.

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Works Cited

“Life Span of Batteries.” Lifespan of Batteries,

alternative-energy.6pie.com/batteries/lifespan-of-batteries.php.

Magcraft. “What Is a Homopolar Motor?” MAGCRAFT Brand Rare Earth Magnets, 31 Dec.

2014, ​www.magcraft.com/blog/what-is-a-homopolar-motor​.

Presley , Susan. “What Is a Homopolar Motor Used For?” It Still Works | Giving Old Tech a

New Life, Leaf Group , itstillworks.com/homopolar-motor-used-7569545.html.

Systems, MBH Engineering. Conductivity Measurement and Theory,

www.mbhes.com/conductivity_measurement.htm​.

“What Is a Homopolar Motor and How Does One Work?” Blog.first4magnets.Com,

blog.first4magnets.com/what-is-a-homopolar-motor-and-how-does-one-work/

Tmg. "What's the Average Life Expectancy of a Car Battery – and How Can I Extend It?" The

Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 18 Aug. 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2017.