Steam Engine with LED

Photo of University of Texas at Austin's Demonstration

Instructions:

• Using the lighter provided, hover the flame over the glass piece at the end of the engine.
• After warming the end of the engine for 10 seconds, give the wheel a few pushes to give it inertia to start.
• Allow the engine to run for as long as desired. When finished, remove flame from engine and it will run to a stop.

Concepts Conveyed:

• Throughout its running period, the engine undergoes isothermal expansion, adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression, and finally adiabatic compression.
• Thermal energy from the fire is coverted to mechanical energy in the engine, which is then converted to electrical energy in the LED light.

Demo Staff Instructions:

• Provide a lighter with demonstration.

Last updated on September 23, 2022