IRREGULAR MAGNET TOPOLOGIES IN AN ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC) GENERATOR

This study was conducted to ascertain whether or not changing the relative angle between like-poles of bar magnets inside of an alternating current (AC) generator has a significant impact on the generator’s power output. Generators that make use of “clean” energy have been available for decades, but have been largely neglected due to their low efficiencies. Well-established physics laws suggest that the manipulation of magnet topologies within these generators may provide an inexpensive solution to this issue. In this experiment, an AC generator with adjustable magnets was created using LEGO® Mindstorms pieces and various other common materials. A total of three levels of the independent variable were analyzed (90°, 60°, 120°), and twelve trials were conducted for each level. A multimeter was used to obtain an AC voltage value and an AC current value for the generator in each trial/level, and from this data, the power output for each trial was calculated. The power outputs obtained for each level of the independent variable were analyzed using an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t-tests. In the end, it was discovered that magnet topology does in fact have a significant impact on an AC generator’s power output.