A Science Project With a Heat Engine for Kids

Making the Pendulum

• One science project for kids involves making a heat engine out of copper wire, a large ceramic magnet and a candle. All the materials for this project can be bought at an electronics store. The ceramic magnet will swing back and forth, suspended on two wires over a flame. Cut a foot of wire and wrap it around the center of the ceramic magnet. Loop two ends at the top which will make the support for the pendulum. Use a wooden dowel to suspend the pendulum so that you don't burn your fingers while using the flame.

Attaching the Magnets

• Cut another foot of wire and wrap it around a nickel magnet that you will connect above the other magnet. The ceramic magnet should be on the bottom, just below it. The two magnets, the one that is dangling below and the one above, must be close enough so that during the experiment both magnets are already held together.

Starting the Heat Engine

• The nickel magnet is stuck to the ceramic magnet below. Now light the candle you have positioned below them so the flame touches the magnet. The flame will heat the magnet so that it won't stick to the large ceramic magnet any longer. It will drop and the remaining nickel magnet on the pendulum will move back and forth, showing the principle behind magnetic movement when heat affects the magnet. It also shows the relative attraction of magnets under different temperatures. The remaining pendulum magnet will move back and forth as long as the flame burns beneath it.

The Principle of the Experiment

• This experiment shows how a heat engine can be made on a larger and more complex scale. The effect of the flame on magnetic attraction demonstrates the Curie effect, which is a principle that magnets lose their attraction when heated. The temperature at which this happens is called the Curie temperature.