1© Charles Edison Fund, 2008
WinD PowerExperiments, Activities, and Useful Information
Presented by:Charles Edison Fund
Edison Innovation Foundation
Prepared by:Harry T. Roman
Educational Consultant, Teacher and Inventor
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Table of Contents
Chairman’s Letter.........................................................................................................3
Wind Power Background..............................................................................................4
Wind Machine Basics....................................................................................................6
The Wind Power-Math Connection..............................................................................8
Experiment--Shape and Size Makes a Difference......................................................10
Wind Energy Potential.................................................................................................11
Experiment--What Affects the Wind?........................................................................12
Classroom Activities.....................................................................................................14
Learn More about Thomas Edison.............................................................................15
About the Author and EIF.............................................................................................16
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Chairman’s Letter
Wind power has the potential to be a significant new energy form for our country and is already the fastest growing alternate energy form worldwide. Some energy experts believe it has the potential to be the lynchpin of our alternate energy strategy in the next 20-30 years. Our country is blessed with abundant wind energy resources.
This short book contains experiments, activities, and charts / tables that can help you better understand the wind energy message. There also are references to other sources of information for follow-up. We hope you enjoy and benefit from all this data. The booklet is designed for classroom use by teachers, as well as individual student and home school learning and experimentation.
If Thomas Edison were alive today, he would be an ardent wind enthusiast, having extolled the virtues of alternate energy back in the early 1910’s. He was the world’s greatest inventor. His name is synonymous with creativity and innovation. Thomas Edison not only recognized opportunity, he created it. As the man responsible for the invention of the motion picture, recorded sound, power generation and the light bulb, and the creation of the first extensive R&D facility, he has arguably created more value than any other single human in history. It has been said that Edison is responsible for anywhere from 3% to 5% of the world’s GNP, over $500 billion for the U.S. alone. Two scientific discoveries in his laboratories later led directly to radio and modern electronics, paving the way for today’s telecommunications boom.
So join us in this spirit of Thomas Edison. The experiments have been designed to be easy, economical to perform, and insightful. Have fun and learn!
The Charles Edison Fund (“CEF”), incorporated in 1948 by Charles Edison was, and continues to be, an endowed philanthropic institution dedicated to the support of worthwhile endeavors generally within the areas of medical research, science education and historic preservation. It both operates programs and makes grants to support these endeavors. Since its inception CEF has served as an extension of the benefactions and aspirations of its Founder, a man of discerning foresight, rare achievement and background. The undersigned, as Chairman and President of CEF, committed the funding to create and print this booklet.
The Edison Innovation Foundation (EIF), a sister organization to CEF, is a not-for-profit organization that supports the Edison legacy and encourages students to embrace careers in science and technology.
You can learn more about Thomas Edison and how to support our non-profit efforts through our website at www.charlesedisonfund.org and www.thomasedison.org.
John Keegan Chairman & President, Charles Edison Fund Chairman & President, Edison Innovation Foundation
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Wind Power BackgroundBackground The fastest growing alternate energy source is wind power. It has made huge strides in the last 10 years, both nationally and internationally. Predominantly, the big impact of wind turbines is in the large, utility scale, installations…machines capable of producing megawatts (MW) of power.
These are physically large machines. The steel pole upon which the wind turbine generator and propellers are installed may be on the order of 200-250 feet tall. Atop this sits propellers whose tip-to-tip measurement can be as large as a football field. Large propeller areas are required because while the planet’s wind energy is free, it is quite dispersed, and must be collected over a rather large swept rotor area. Depending upon design size, a utility size wind turbine is generally capable of producing 765 kW-3.0 MW.
To run effectively and economically, wind turbines should be located in areas where the wind blows, on a sustained basis, at least 12 miles per hour; and ideally, 20 miles per hour or greater. The more a wind turbine operates, and the higher the wind speed, the cheaper the electricity it generates. In unusually high wind speeds, large wind turbines safely shut down to avoid damage.
Wind turbines can be clustered over large open land areas generally known as wind farms. Here the turbines can be spaced apart by 10-20 rotor diameters so the machines will not interfere with each other. Turbines are also sometimes located across the ridge line of hills and mountains, or along shore areas near large bodies of water where naturally high wind speeds may result. Canyon passes can likewise provide a natural funneling effect of wind speeds.
****************************************************************************************** Notes for Teachers and Home Schooling Parents
Have students research how wind speeds change with height and geographical influences and topography. Where can natural augmentation of wind occur…and why? How does the earth’s rotation influence wind speeds at ground and elevated heights?Can wind speed at elevation be estimated if wind speed at ground levels is known? How?
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When the wind blows fast enough, a large wind turbine can easily generate electricity competitive with that generated by utility coal-fired power plants, somewhere in the range of 2-3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). But it must be kept firmly in mind, that the wind can falter or be calmed for long periods, so wind turbines must be coupled with conventional power plants in some manner so electricity can be supplied reliably. Wind energy like most other alternate energy sources are supplemental forms of power production. They generate energy only when the alternate energy source is available.
Status of Wind PowerCurrently about 13,000 MW of U.S. electrical capacity is powered by the wind. Worldwide, wind accounts for about 65,000 MW. To put this into perspective, today, the installed conventional U.S. electrical capacity is in excess of 900,000 MW.
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The preponderance of wind turbine installations resides in the area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, a geographical area where ambient wind conditions are plentiful, and steady. There are also a rather large amount of wind turbine installations in the western states.
Overseas in Europe, countries like Ireland, Scandinavia, England, Germany, Holland and Spain are leaders in wind energy. These countries are pioneering the location of wind turbines in offshore areas where wind speeds may be more robust and steady than onshore sites.
****************************************************************************************** Notes for Teachers and Home Schooling Parents
Challenge students to debate the pros and cons of locating wind turbines in coastal locations. What types of concerns could affect such things as costs, operation, maintenance, and bringing the power back to shore? How about aesthetics and environmental concerns? Could large offshore wind turbines be located in your state?What kinds of concerns would your fellow state citizens have?
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While finding and generating power from the wind is now accepted and the technology well-understood, the electrical energy produced must be connected back to a convenient utility scale electrical facility so the cheap energy can be fed to customers. Often, this can be a substantial cost, as most wind energy locations are remote to population or urban areas where large amounts of power are consumed. A typical utility substation may be 30 to 100 MW in size. If 3 MW wind machines are used, then to collect the power from so many dispersed sites means a great deal of interconnection costs to wire them together and batch their power to a substation, hopefully not too far away. The most convenient and windy sites will be those first developed into wind farm locations. After that, the costs to connect the wind machines to the existing electrical grid will likely dominate the economics of wind power.
ReferencesAmerican Wind Energy Association----www.awea.orgIndex to Large Wind Turbine Companies in the U.S.----www.energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byGeo/US/byP/wRP/lwindturbine/byS/byS.shtmlNational Renewable Energy Lab----www.nrel.govwww.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/wind_maps.asp
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Wind Machine BasicsThe typical wind machine shown in Figure 1 is comprised of the following major system components:
Steel PoleThis is the major support structure of the entire wind machine, fi rmly anchored into the ground or sea fl oor and able to withstand a variety of forces acting on the structure above. Occasionally, this pole may be replaced with a steel lattice style form of construction.
NacellePerched atop the massive steel pole is the nacelle, which houses the turning gears and electric generator of the wind machine.
Propellers or BladesThese heavy and highly sophisticated components are designed to capture as much of the wind’s energy as possible.
Controls and InstrumentationUsually located in or on the nacelle, sensors collect wind speed data, environmental information, weather data, and monitor critical machine parameters to make sure the machine is functioning within operational limits. These controls and instrumentation can shut the machine down if they sense dangerous limits could be exceeded.
Utility InterconnectionThe wind machine is only as good as its ability to deliver useful electricity to customers, so it must be able to connect its output to a local utility grid. Again, instrumentation and metering are applied at this point of interconnection to make sure operational limits on the machine or utility grid are not exceeded.
****************************************************************************************** Notes for Teachers and Home Schooling Parents
An interesting classroom activity could involve teams of students conducting research into each of these major components to investigate further what is entailed in the design, building, and installation of each one. For instance ... what are the dimensions of the steel pole? How far down into the soil is it anchored? How tall is the pole? How much does it weigh? How is it placed into position? How important is the shape of the blades…..their length, width, and curvature?
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FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
Blades orPropellers
Nacelle (housing generatorturning gears and controlsand instrumentation). Nacelle rotates 360 degreesaround the steel pole.
Steel Pole
PowerOutput
Wind Speed
SmallHousehold Fan
Soda Straw(bends underwind force)
Flat pieceof cardboard
Carboard shapes could include:
...but also might include cup or dish shapes desgined to capture the wind force.
RatedPowerOutput
Wind TurbinePerformance Graph
(Example)
Electrical Cable to Utility
Grid Connection
Cut-Out(45+ mph)
Cut-In(10-15 mph)
FIGURE 4
SmallHousehold Fan
Fan
ObstaclesWind
Detector
Top View
WindDetector
String orlight sewing
thread
Glue
Very thin sheetof paper ortissue paper
Obstacles
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An attractive feature of wind turbine installations is the relatively short amount of time required to build the power plant, usually less than a year and in favorable sites, maybe six months or so.
Before a wind machine is constructed at a site, wind turbine engineers must collect at least a year’s worth of weather data for the site, with their chief interests being:-How strong the wind blows; -How steady is that wind; and,-From what direction is the wind?
Understanding the characteristics of the wind at any site, and other weather and environmental factors, will determine precisely how a specific wind machine will operate. Two different wind turbine designs located at the same site will operate differently. Think of the wind machine as a wind filter that will respond to every nuance of the wind at that site. Machines can start turning at slightly different wind speeds and achieve their best operational conditions at different speeds. This all works to determine the annual performance of a particular machine. Most wind turbine manufacturers use mathematical modeling to simulate the performance of their machines at a specific site to help determine if that site is the proper location for such a machine.
A site where wind speeds are good, but highly erratic in duration and direction can be quite detrimental to the overall performance of a wind machine. The machine will tend to start and stop a great deal; or attempt to find the wind by yawing into it, wasting time and hence producing an erratic output. Ideally, a steady wind from a predominantly constant direction would produce the greatest economic benefit.
Also consider that wind speeds may be highly seasonal dependent. That is, there could be a large seasonal mismatch between available wind energy and peak load. There are many places where electric load is greatest in the summer and the use of a wind machine could be of enormous benefit in reducing the cost of electricity during peak hours…..but wind speeds tend to be greatest in the winter, and lowest in the summer. These kinds of factors are important to understand before undertaking to build a large wind machine.
****************************************************************************************** Notes for Teachers and Home Schooling Parents
Engage students to study the wind regime of your local area or that of the state in order to develop an appreciation where large wind machines might be able to make a contribution to the electric supply future. Perhaps there are large wind turbines already installed in your state that could help focus their research? Is the wind great enough to install a wind machine near your school?
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Referenceshttp://windeis.anl.gov/guide/basics/index.cfmhttp://www.infinitepower.org/pdf/FactSheet-13.pdfhttp://www.montanagreenpower.com/wind/http://www.wind-works.org/books/wind_energy_basics.htmlhttp://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html
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The Wind Power-Math ConnectionMathematics is very much a part of wind turbine design and operation. Physics, engineering, and aerodynamics of the wind are important. Here is the general equation for extracting power from the wind:
Power = (Machine Constant) X (Vel. of wind-cubed) X (Diam. of blades-squared) X (Pi) X (Dens. of air) / 8 The machine constant is a numerical coeffi cient and depends upon the physical design of the wind machine itself; and typically this number is between 0.24 and 0.44 --- representing how much of the energy of the wind can actually be transformed into mechanical energy. Ideally, this number cannot be greater than 0.59, an aerodynamic constraint known as the Betz limit. This literally means no matter what kind of wind machine you design, it will never be able to extract more than 59% of the energy residing in any wind-stream.
The wind velocity at a site and the size of the machine blades determine overall performance of any given machine. Notice the power functions associated with wind velocity and blade diameter……velocity cubed and diameter squared! This argues for putting the biggest blades possible into the strongest winds available—sort of like a sailing ship wouldn’t you say, putting as much sail into the wind as possible. This is a correct assumption as long as the structural materials you use for the wind machine can withstand the stresses and strains involved—and these forces are not small by any measure. Remember, some wind machine blades are half the size of a football fi eld in length. Figure 2 shows a typical wind turbine performance graph.
This is precisely what took the wind industry twenty years to engineer. The original wind turbines of the late 70s and early 80s were large and did not perform so well. They had structural problems. So the industry built smaller machines while they worked to solve the material problems of the larger machines, which today has allowed them to re-invigorate their industry.
Today’s large wind machine blades are a combination of the science and technology of aircraft wings and helicopter blades, with special attention paid to the types of materials and special heat treatment of them to improve overall strength. The blades are typically larger than the world’s largest airplane wings.
That cubic function of the wind velocity is a very important factor indeed. It can work against you if you place a wind turbine in the wrong location, because if you get much less wind energy than expected, the amount of power output from the machine falls very rapidly and the cost of the electricity generated will rise very rapidly.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
Blades orPropellers
Nacelle (housing generatorturning gears and controlsand instrumentation). Nacelle rotates 360 degreesaround the steel pole.
Steel Pole
PowerOutput
Wind Speed
SmallHousehold Fan
Soda Straw(bends underwind force)
Flat pieceof cardboard
Carboard shapes could include:
...but also might include cup or dish shapes desgined to capture the wind force.
RatedPowerOutput
Wind TurbinePerformance Graph
(Example)
Electrical Cable to Utility
Grid Connection
Cut-Out(45+ mph)
Cut-In(10-15 mph)
FIGURE 4
SmallHousehold Fan
Fan
ObstaclesWind
Detector
Top View
WindDetector
String orlight sewing
thread
Glue
Very thin sheetof paper ortissue paper
Obstacles
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****************************************************************************************** Notes for Teachers and Home Schooling Parents
Encourage students to explore the many ways that math is involved in wind energy and wind turbine design. Use book and Internet sources to investigate the math required, and the types of math needed like algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. Also look at the engineering disciplines involved like civil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, strength of materials, electrical engineering, and environmental engineering.
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Consider this example. If the amount of wind available is only ½ of what you expected or planned for, then the amount of power generated will not fall by a factor of 2, but by a factor of 8……1/2 cubed is 1/8! See how those power functions can work against you big time? That means your cost of power generation also went up 8 times. If you projected to make electricity for 2 cents per kWh, it just became 16 cents per kWh…and you have not even paid the delivery costs to your customers yet!
Pi (3.14) of course is a constant in the equation; and the density of air will vary with height and temperature, but will not overshadow the impact of wind velocity and blade diameter on power generation.
Referenceshttp://www.kidwind.org/PDFs/SUPPORT_Math_Units.pdfhttp://www.kidwind.org/PDFs/SUPPORT_Math_TriangleHeight.pdfhttp://www.otherpower.com/windbasics1.htmlhttp://www.skywindpower.com/ww/page001.htm
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ExperimentShape and Size Makes a Difference
IntroductionWe all have a natural understanding of the wind, as we experience it just about every day. Every one of us has stuck our arms and hands out of the window on a hot summer day and felt as the wind pushed against our hands. We may have even played some games changing the shape of our hand to see how it captures the power of the moving wind stream.
In this experiment, we are going to play with some shapes [See Figure 3.] against a wind stream to investigate how shape (and size) is affected by moving air. We will need:
A fan• Plenty of cardboard or paperboard• Popsicle sticks•
The ExperimentsAllow students to cut various shapes and place them into the fan’s wind stream. It would be best to mount each shape so that it is stapled or glued to a soda straw, and students may feel the impact on wind capture. Students should also test different sizes of the same shape to see the impact that increasing surface area has on wind capture and wind forces on an object. Teachers ... keep the fan speed setting constant for all
these experiments … choose the medium or high setting for the fan.
Have students discuss what they learned. Why do they think certain shapes were better at capturing available wind?
Take This Experiment FurtherObtain or make a pinwheel and subject it to the fan’s wind stream. Experiment with the pinwheel facing directly into the wind stream, and then slowly angle the pinwheel so it intercepts less of the wind stream. What is the effect on how fast the pinwheel turns? How does this angling of the object with a wind stream affect the student shapes experimented above? Let them investigate this.
Challenge the students to investigate how a complex shape like a wind machine propeller is motivated to turn in a wind stream. Just how does this happen?
Referenceshttp://www.answers.com/topic/aerodynamicshttp://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wtrb/drag.htmhttp://www.wonderquest.com/beer-streamline-size.htm
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
Blades orPropellers
Nacelle (housing generatorturning gears and controlsand instrumentation). Nacelle rotates 360 degreesaround the steel pole.
Steel Pole
PowerOutput
Wind Speed
SmallHousehold Fan
Soda Straw(bends underwind force)
Flat pieceof cardboard
Carboard shapes could include:
...but also might include cup or dish shapes desgined to capture the wind force.
RatedPowerOutput
Wind TurbinePerformance Graph
(Example)
Electrical Cable to Utility
Grid Connection
Cut-Out(45+ mph)
Cut-In(10-15 mph)
FIGURE 4
SmallHousehold Fan
Fan
ObstaclesWind
Detector
Top View
WindDetector
String orlight sewing
thread
Glue
Very thin sheetof paper ortissue paper
Obstacles
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Wind Energy Potential
IntroductionIn this research and assessment activity, students will have a chance to assess the wind energy potential in their state. No special materials will be required.
The ActivityThere are two parts to this activity:
Where is wind data collected in the state?• What areas of the state could be possible sites for large wind machines?•
First all students will conduct research as to where wind data may be collected. Generally, wind data is of value to a variety of industries and operations in any state. Here is a rough list of some of the places where wind data may be taken and already on record:
Electric and gas utility companies• Airports (large and small)• Universities• Weather forecasting and prediction services• Governmental agencies• Environmental agencies• Military bases• Coast Guard locations• Boating operations• TV, radio, news services or stations• Farming operations• State energy agencies.•
Let the students learn about where sources of wind data are within your state, and how much data may have already been collected. They can contact these sources and learn how and why wind data is collected. It is recommended that students:
Make a diagram of the state and show where wind data has been collected.• Show what wind speeds can be expected in various regions of your state.•
Now the students should take their state diagrams and develop a way to determine which areas could host large wind turbine installations. It is important that students think multi-dimensionally about whether wind machines can be located in certain places. When performing this analysis, students should pay attention to such things as:
Is there enough wind speed to support a wind turbine?• Will the large wind turbine(s) present a negative visual impact at this location?• Will it be in an environmentally sensitive area?• Is it near a population center or out in a rural area where there is no easy way to connect it to a utility • grid?Could the wind machine be a problem with bird flight or migratory patterns?• Are there local weather conditions that could make the wind turbine installation a potential problem?•
In doing this assessment, students will benefit from using a standard wind turbine design. Each student or student team should use the same wind turbine design. If time permits, other wind turbine machines could be also evaluated.
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ExperimentWhat Affects the Wind?
IntroductionThe amount of good, clean wind that strikes a turbine is affected by:
Geographical structures • Trees • Shape/contour of the land• Proximity to bodies of open water or land• Roughness of terrain • Height of the wind machine•
In this experiment, students will have a chance to build a simple wind detector and place some shapes in a wind stream to see how it affects the wind detector.
The ExperimentsUsing Figure 4 as a guide, fi rst assemble a simple wind detector as shown and place this in the direct wind stream of the fan. You may have to suspend the wind detector from an overhead support like a lab apparatus stand.
Once the detector is ready to go, fi rst subject it to the fan and notice its defl ection and behavior in the wind stream. Then the students are free to place obstructions in the path of the wind stream and observe how the height and bulk of the obstructions impact the wind detector. Have the students document, both in a side view and top view, the exact location of the obstructions; and also how the detector behaves…..i.e. steady, erratic, or diminished in defl ection.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
Blades orPropellers
Nacelle (housing generatorturning gears and controlsand instrumentation). Nacelle rotates 360 degreesaround the steel pole.
Steel Pole
PowerOutput
Wind Speed
SmallHousehold Fan
Soda Straw(bends underwind force)
Flat pieceof cardboard
Carboard shapes could include:
...but also might include cup or dish shapes desgined to capture the wind force.
RatedPowerOutput
Wind TurbinePerformance Graph
(Example)
Electrical Cable to Utility
Grid Connection
Cut-Out(45+ mph)
Cut-In(10-15 mph)
FIGURE 4
SmallHousehold Fan
Fan
ObstaclesWind
Detector
Top View
WindDetector
String orlight sewing
thread
Glue
Very thin sheetof paper ortissue paper
Obstacles
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Students may use books or piles of books as obstacles. They may also use small tree branches, or artificial model trees as well, like the kind used for toy train modeling. Can they create obstacles that actually funnel and enhance the wind stream’s force?
Taking This Experiment FurtherThis is a fascinating area for further research. Have students search the Internet and wind engineering books to investigate how wind engineers estimate the impact of surface conditions upon a wind turbine installation and operation. What factors can be taken into account? How does wind speed change with turbine height? How can height elevated wind speeds be estimated and projected from speeds taken at lower heights? Does this provide a rationale for ideally locating wind machines on mountains and canyon passes? Does it also justify locations of near and far off shore wind machines?
Referenceshttp://www.bwea.com/you/siting.htmlhttp://windustry.org/wind-basics/learn-about-wind-energy/wind-basics-know-your-wind/know-your-windhttp://windustry.org/wind-basics/learn-about-wind-energy/wind-basics-know-your-land/know-your-land
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Classroom ActivitiesUnderstand what drives the winds. Learn how the sun’s energy creates uneven heating of the earth’s surfaces and how this in turn creates high and low pressure areas that result in the winds. How do weather forecasters portray winds on their maps? How can you tell how strong the winds will be?
What kinds of job skills do wind engineers and technicians need to design, build, and operate large wind machines?
Investigate the history of man’s use of the wind. Where did wind machines first find application? How did large scale wind machines get their start as electricity generating systems?
How are vertical axis wind turbines different than horizontal axis machines?
When connecting large wind machines to an existing electric utility grid, what kinds of concerns might the local utility company have? Could you invite a utility engineer in to talk about how wind power might affect their grid?
Contact your state energy office to discuss how wind energy might be used in your state. Perhaps they can send a representative to discuss where wind machines are being used and where else they could be applied.
Design a weather station that can be located at a potential wind energy site and specify the kinds of information that should be collected. How would this data be stored and made accessible for analysis?
Could large scale wind turbine be located in cities, say on the top of, or part of, large buildings? What kinds of concerns might there be for such applications?
If wind power is not always available, might the energy generated by the wind machines be somehow stored for use later? What kinds of storage systems do your students envision? Can they only store the electricity output of the wind machines….or can they store the energy in other forms?
What aviation impacts might large wind machines present? How could this be minimized?
As the propellers and blades of large wind machines rotate, there is a noise created as the blades cut through the air. How serious is this as a potential problem to local residents? Can the rotating blades cause other problems?
Search the Internet and create a scrapbook of large wind turbine installation photos and wind machines. Poll the class to determine if such installations would be acceptable in your state at various locations that are used for tourism or recreation.Have the students summarize what they have learned about wind energy in an article in the school newspaper or in a prominently located display.
Research how fast experts believe that wind energy can be used to relieve this nation’s energy crisis and dependence upon fossil fuels. What is a realistic assessment of how much wind power can contribute to our energy situation, and by when?
Can small wind turbines be used by private citizens at their homes? If so, what kinds of concerns might their neighbors have with a wind machine operating nearby?
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Learn More About Thomas EdisonHere is a fun list of great reads about the famous inventor, spanning the ages from adults to young readers. Many of the earlier published works noted here have been updated and re-printed in paperback form as well. Check with your local bookseller or the Internet for updates, and even more reads about the great man. Better yet, visit the famous West Orange Laboratories in New Jersey and see the world’s greatest intact collection of Edison artifacts; and learn how he put them to use creating our modern world. See the website about the West Orange laboratories at the end of this section, and view information for visiting or contacting the site. School and group visits can be accommodated.
Adult Reading
Baldwin, Neil; “Edison, Inventing the Century”; Hyperion, 1995.Conot, Robert; “Thomas A. Edison-A Streak of Luck”, Da Capo Press, Inc., 1979.Cook, James G.; “Edison-the man who turned darkness into light”; Thomas Alva Edison Foundation, 1978.Freidel, Robert and Israel, Paul; “Edison’s Electric Light: Biography of an Invention”; Rutgers University Press, 1986.Josephson, Mathew; “Edison”; McGraw-Hill, 1959McCormick, Blaine; “At Work with Thomas Edison”; Entrepreneur Press,2001.Millard, Andre; “Edison and the Business of Innovation”; John Hopkins University Press, 1993.Melosi, Martin; “T. A. Edison and the Modernization of America”; Scott Foresman & Co., 1990.Musser, Charles; “Thomas A. Edison and His Kinetographic Motion Pictures”, Rutgers University Press, 1995.Pretzer, William: “Working at Inventing: Thomas A. Edison and the Menlo Park Experience”; John Hopkins University Press, 2002.Stross, Randall E.; “The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World”, Three Rivers Press, 2008.
Young Readers
Adair, Gene; “Thomas Alva Edison-Inventing the Electric Age”, Oxford University Press, 1996.Burgan, Michael; “Thomas Alva Edison-Great American Inventor”, Compass Point Books, 2007.Dooling, Michael; “Young Thomas Edison”, Holiday House, 2005.Lewis, Floyd A.; “The Incandescent Light”, Shorewood Publications, Inc., 1961Palmer, Arthur J.; “Edison-Inspiration to Youth”; Thomas A. Edison, Inc., West Orange, NJ, 1954.Probst, George F. (Editor); “The Indispensable Man”, Shorewood Publications, Inc., 1962.
Some Interesting Websites to Visit
http://www.nps.gov/edis/home.htm (Edison National Historic Site - in West Orange, New Jersey)http://www.charlesedisonfund.org/ (The Charles Edison Fund)http://www.thomasedison.org/ (The Edison Innovation Foundation)
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About the AuthorHarry T. Roman is a retired engineer, teacher, and inventor. He holds 10 U.S. Patents and has written and published over 475 papers, articles, and scientific essays, including 17 books. His feature educational articles for teachers and students appear in Highlights for Children, The Technology Teacher, Techdirections, TIES, and Interface. His books have been published by Kelvin Publishing, Hearlihy, Nasco, PublishAmerica, Professional Publications, Inc. and Gifted Education Press. He now serves as an educational consultant to the Edison Innovation Foundation.
About EIFThe Edison Innovation Foundation (EIF) was founded in 1996 as a non-profit operating foundation to preserve and promote the legacy of Thomas Edison, especially his historic laboratories at West Orange, NJ. The mission of EIF has evolved to include educational outreach programs tailored to inspire teachers, students, women, and minorities to pursue or continue careers in science, engineering, and technology.
EIF can be contacted at:
Edison Innovation FoundationOne Riverfront Plaza
3rd FloorNewark, NJ 07102
973-648-0500www.thomasedison.org
