A clever inventor claims to be able to make an electric car that makes its own electricity and never needs gas. The inventor claims that as the car moves, the wind generated by the motion spins a propeller. The propeller turns a generator that makes electricity to power the car. Do you believe this car would work? Why or why not? (Hint: Think about conservation of energy.)

Question

Physics

Franklin Moyer

21 October, 20:43

A clever inventor claims to be able to make an electric car that makes its own electricity and never needs gas. The inventor claims that as the car moves, the wind generated by the motion spins a propeller. The propeller turns a generator that makes electricity to power the car. Do you believe this car would work? Why or why not? (Hint: Think about conservation of energy.)

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Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Jade Gill · Answer 1

Yes, it would work.

Explanation:

From Flehmings left hand rule, current can be generated when a coil cuts the magnetic field of a powerful magnet. Thus, the spin of properller turns a generator thereby converts motion to electrical energy.

The major challenge would be how to set the car in motion when at rest. But this can be solved by energy consrvation process. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destoyed, but transformed from one form to another. Thus, there would be mechanism having a device called an inverter which stores electric energy when the vehicle is in motion. This regenerates the required initial energy to set the electric car in motion when at rest or stops.