Student 1 of 1

Practical 9 Power of an electric motor

Purpose Safety

The aim of this experiment is to measure the Place a piece of sponge beneath the hanging
power of an electric motor. masses.

You will need:

• Low voltage electric motor on stand • Set of slotted masses
• Suitable power supply • Metre ruler
• Two 4 mm leads • Retort stand, boss and clamp
• G clamp • Stopwatch
• Thread • A piece of sponge

Experimental instructions
Mount the motor on the bench and secure it in
place with the G clamp.

Fix some thread round the motor spindle and

attach it to the hook of the slotted masses so that
the masses rest on the floor. Hold the metre ruler
vertically in the clamp so that it is close to, but not
touching, the slotted masses.

Start the motor and the stopwatch at the same time

and measure the time it takes for the load (slotted
masses) to rides through 0.5 m.

Record the readings on the ammeter and voltmeter

during the time the load is rising.

If possible take more than one pair of readings if

there is time. Figure 1: Measuring the power of a motor

Stop the motor and unwind the thread so that the masses rest on the floor again.

Repeat the experiment three times and get an average value for the time taken to rise
the 0.5 m.

Analysis and conclusion

Use your results to calculate the output power of the motor.

Suggest inaccuracies in your experiment.

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