1. Did you know that using water as an energy source is a very old idea? It is true!

Farmers have
been using water wheels for over 2,000 years to grind wheat into flour! Since nature can
produce water over and over again, what type of resource is it?

Water is a renewable resource.

2. Water is a renewable resource because it is part of a cycle and can be produced over and
over again. Energy converted from moving water is known as hydropower. Let’s take a closer
look at these five water wheel models. Compare and describe their similarities and
differences.
All of the water wheel models produce hydropower and are circular in shape. The water
wheels have blades facing in different directions and at different angles, which moves the
water differently.

3. All of the water wheel models produce hydropower and are circular in shape, but they have
blades facing in different directions and at different angles, which moves the water
 differently. Take a photo of the model in which water pours over the top and pushes the
wheel in a clockwise direction. This is the most common of the vertical water wheels and the
one that farmers used to grind their wheat into flour.
Overshot water wheel.

4. the overshot water wheel to observe how it works. Notice that as water collects in the
compartments or buckets on the wheel, it causes the wheel to spin. The overshot water
wheel was often built along hillsides. Why would this type of water wheel be built along the
hillside? Hint: Think about the direction that water travels on a hillside.

The overshot water wheel was built on a hillside to allow water to naturally flow down over
the water wheel, fill the compartments and buckets, and spin the wheel.

5. Take a photo of the model in which water pours down one side of the wheel from about half
its height and pushes the wheel in counter clockwise direction.
Breastshot water wheel.

6. the breast shot water wheel to observe how it works. This type of water wheel was mostly
used in the 1800s in the United States, during the Industrial Revolution. Its wheel has larger
buckets to collect and move the water in the same direction, helping it rotate. What force
helps push these buckets down?

The force of gravity is pushing these buckets down.

7. choose a picture of the model in which water pours over the top and pushes the wheel in a
counterclockwise direction. It is also known as a backshot water wheel.

Pitchback water wheel.

8. the pitchback water wheel to observe how it works. This type of water wheel is similar to the
overshot water wheel but has one significant difference. What is the difference between the
pitchback and overshot water wheels?
https://javalab.org/en/lorenzs_water_mill_en/
The difference between the pichback and overshot water wheels is that the pitchback wheel
rotates in the opposite direction of the overshot wheel.

9. choose a picture of the model that is different from the first three water wheels you
observed. The water flows under the wheel and then is pushed up in a counter clockwise
direction.

Undershot water wheel.

10. the undershot water wheel to observe how it works. This water wheel is also known as a
stream wheel. Because the stream wheel was the easiest type to make, it was often used by
 the ancient Greeks and Romans in flat areas. However, it was only 20% efficient. Why do you
think it was not very efficient?

The undershot water wheel was 20% efficient because it just drags water across the bottom.

11. Take a photo of the model that seems the least efficient and looks different than any of the
other water wheels.

Horizontal water wheel.

12. the horizontal water wheel to observe how it works. Ancient Chinese civilizations used
horizontal water wheels to grind rice into flour. The design of this water wheel proved to be
inefficient and had to be changed in later years. How do you think this design was changed?

The horizontal water wheel was changed by lifting the wheel into a vertical position to make
it more efficient.

13. So far, we have seen how water wheels use the motion of water to generate mechanical
energy that does useful work, such as grinding wheat or rice. Now let’s look at a similar
modern technology that also uses water as a renewable energy source: hydroelectric dams.
Hydroelectric dams use the motion of water to generate electricity. Look closely at this image
of the inner workings of this dam. Take a photo of the part within the dam that is similar to
the water wheel.

Turbine.

14. A dam is built across a river and uses the moving water to turn the blades of a turbine.
The spinning blades are connected to a generator, which produces electricity. Building dams
has many advantages, but one disadvantage is that it changes the local ecosystem.
Redirecting the flow of water negatively impacts the plants and animals that depend on the
river. In addition to harnessing the energy of water flowing in a river or stream, what other
sources of hydropower can you think of?

The other sources of hydropower include waves, tides, and rain.

15. What are the advantages and disadvantages of hydropower?

The advantages of hydropower are that it is a clean, reliable, renewable energy source that
does not create greenhouse gases or pollution. The disadvantages of hydropower are that it
is expensive to build and it can damage wildlife habitats, harm water quality, and disrupt fish
migration.

16. Based on your observations, which type of water wheel do you think would be the most
efficient? Why?

The overshot and pitchback water wheels are the most efficient because they use the
movement of the water (kinetic energy) plus the weight of the water (gravity) to provide
extra energy.

17. Which type of water wheel do you think would be the least efficient? Why?

The horizontal water wheel is the least efficient because it loses a lot of water through the
spokes of its wheel.

18. What are some similarities among these five types of water wheels?

All six of the water wheels have some type of wheel that harnesses the movement of the
water to create energy.

19. What are some differences among these five types of water wheels?

The water wheels varied in the shape, placement, orientation, and rotation direction of the
wheel. The horizontal water wheel was the only model with a horizontal wheel. All of the
other models had vertical wheels. The overshot wheel had water coming in from the top.
The breast shot wheel had water coming in from the middle. The undershot wheel had water
coming in from the bottom. The pitchback wheel had water coming in from the top, like the
overshot wheel, but the wheel rotated backwards, towards the water source.

True or False: Hydropower dams reduce pollution (Answer: True)

True or False: Hydropower dams are cheap to build (Answer: False: they can be very
expensive to build.)
True or False: Hydropower dams rarely interfere with natural wildlife (Answer: False: dams
can disrupt migratory fish patterns and spawning habits, especially for species like salmon.
This can have devastating effects on both the fish population and people whose livelihoods
depend on these fish.)
 To use the natural water flows in a river or stream for hydropower, what type of natural
river conditions do engineers require?

(Answer: It must be fast-moving water.)

 What are some reasons why engineers construct hydroelectric power plants?

(Possible answers: To produce electricity. To make use of a renewable energy source

[water]. To produce electricity without polluting or producing greenhouse gases.)

 Why do engineers construct dams for large hydroelectric power systems?

(Answer: The dam holds a great deal of water in one place to supply the kinetic energy
required to turn the turbine blades.)

 How was the waterwheel you made similar to what happens in a hydroelectric power plant?

(Answer: Water dropped from a container to spin the blades just like water runs from a dam
to spin the blades of a turbine. The spinning waterwheel was used to do work just like the
spinning blades of turbines make electricity, which we use to do work.)