East Los Angeles College Transformers Lab Summary
ANSWER
Summary:
The lab focuses on comprehending transformers, electrical system components that change voltage and current. These items are frequently observed as cylindrical canisters on power poles or gray electrical boxes between buildings. The major goal is to clarify how transformers work, particularly how they “step down” high voltage from power lines to regular household voltage. A primary coil connected to power lines creates a magnetic field through a secondary coil. Alternating current causes the primary coil’s current to fluctuate, affecting the secondary coil’s magnetic field’s strength and direction. The secondary coil, attached to the home wiring, induces current due to the shifting magnetic field. The important idea is the distinction in the number of turns between the primary and secondary coils. The outcome is a Step-Down Transformer, which features a secondary coil with fewer turns and a lower induced voltage. A Step Up Transformer, which produces a larger induced voltage when the secondary coil has more turns, is the opposite. The transformer equation and illustrations are used in the lab to clarify the relationship between the number of turns and voltage changes and to demonstrate these concepts.
QUESTION
Description
Write a summary for the lab
Objective
A transformer is a device used to change voltage and current. You may have noticed the gray electrical boxes often located between two houses or buildings or cylindrical containers mounted high on power poles. These boxes protect the transformers that “step down” high voltage from power lines (13,800 volts) to standard household voltage (240 or 120 volts).
How a transformer works:
The primary coil is connected to outside power lines. Current in the primary coil creates a magnetic field through the secondary coil.
The current in the primary coil changes frequently because it is alternating current.
- As the current changes, so does the strength and direction of the magnetic field through the secondary coil.
- The changing magnetic field through the secondary coil induces current in the secondary coil. The secondary coil is connected to the wiring in your home.
- Transformers work because the primary and secondary coils have different numbers of turns. If the secondary coil has fewer turns, the induced voltage in the secondary coil is lower than the voltage applied to the primary coil. This would be referred to as a Step Down Transformer. If the secondary coil has greater turns, then the induced voltage in the secondary coil is higher than the voltage applied to the primary coil. This would be referred to as a Step Up Transformer. You can use the proportion below to figure out how number of turns affects voltage:
- Transformer equation: Edit