Make Electricity Go Round and Round - The Thermoelectric Effect

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  • Опубліковано 24 гру 2024

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  • @SteveMould
    @SteveMould  4 роки тому +443

    So for a while there was some missing footage in the video (my fault (well I blame Adobe but that's a different story!)) but thanks to the technical team at UA-cam I was able to slip the footage in there! Here's the time code if you want to see it: ua-cam.com/video/O6waiEeXDGo/v-deo.html
    The sponsor is Blinkist: the first 100 people to go to blinkist.com/stevemould will get unlimited access for 1 week to try it out. You'll also get 25% off if you want full membership.

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 4 роки тому +11

      PCR blocks run on the peltier effect. Saving poor techincal staff for about 30 years. The original process was using three water baths and youd move the reaction tubes between each. It also allows for incredibly precise temperature changes, 0.1 degrees. This allows us to read things like the difference in melting temperatures in DNA sequences, such as Alleles.

    • @rickharriss
      @rickharriss 4 роки тому +6

      Nit picky but the electrons move from neg to pos.

    • @kirom4265
      @kirom4265 4 роки тому +2

      Please make a video on voltage

    • @josedelgado7479
      @josedelgado7479 4 роки тому +13

      Why aren't we using this to convert the heat from reactors and power plants directly into electricity instead of converting the heat to mechanical energy and then to electrical? Is it too inefficient, costly, or difficult?

    • @alexanderjohnson2309
      @alexanderjohnson2309 4 роки тому +11

      Where are the bouncy balls???

  • @PolarisLP
    @PolarisLP 4 роки тому +702

    I'm an electronics engineer by trade for 15 years and i have never heard an explanation of this topic that is so clear and easy to understand. Very well done Steve!

    • @abj9121
      @abj9121 3 роки тому +3

      Explain to me what is gravity theory doing in electronics?

    • @abj9121
      @abj9121 3 роки тому +2

      @Dimdim
      10:55 he calls electron spin as some sort of balls bouncing and gravity as some potential energy. He speaks as gravity is some kind of potential energy that make the balls bounce from the floor and when they reach on the table they lose kinetic energy but the problem is that in this example gravity is not the cause for balls to bounce on the floors or tables.

    • @alan5506
      @alan5506 3 роки тому +1

      Are you still interested to get an answer? I can try to explain

    • @alpacastan7788
      @alpacastan7788 3 роки тому +1

      @@abj9121 i think you're confused. gravity has very little to do with the thermoelectric effect

    • @abj9121
      @abj9121 3 роки тому

      @@alpacastan7788
      And where did i said gravity has anythin with thermoelecteic effect or that its even some real existing shite?

  • @paulvale2985
    @paulvale2985 4 роки тому +307

    Fun Fact: I was once called to a laboratory to investigate why a 30mA RCD was tripping. One of the Lab men pointed out that the tripping always coincided with the Temperature Gradient Kiln reaching 1000 ^C or so. Sure enough a bank of thermocouples had their negative terminal grounded which resulted in over 30 mA flowing to earth and 'confusing' the RCD.

    • @cheaterman49
      @cheaterman49 4 роки тому +15

      That's a fun one! Why would they ground the thermocouple though, were they assuming 0V on the negative end and measuring positive to ground? (it surprises me because I feel like you were dealing with big/important/precise stuff?)

    • @paulvale2985
      @paulvale2985 4 роки тому +14

      @@cheaterman49 Yes mate, correct, a temp gradient kiln had 9 zones with around 10^C difference/zone, this was to test the best firing temp for glaze or colour on pottery ware.

    • @Rani-mt7dj
      @Rani-mt7dj 4 роки тому +1

      I don't understand

    • @paulvale2985
      @paulvale2985 4 роки тому +13

      @@Rani-mt7dj In the UK a Residual Current Device looks for an imbalance in the Live and Neutral conductors at the mains supply board thus, with the Neutral grounded as standard, more than 30mA injected to ground by the combined thermocouples tripped the RCD.

    • @hithereimjack2252
      @hithereimjack2252 4 роки тому +5

      I dont know much on the topic, but I will say that I do know of grounded thermocouples. I've had to change them out because they're not compatible on the devices I'm installing for work. Not sure if they function all that differently or not... I guess this video may have sparked a google research rabbithole for me.

  • @xtieburn
    @xtieburn 4 роки тому +481

    The bouncy balls are of course in 1:1 scale, so you will need an exceptionally high resolution monitor to see the effect.

    • @SpydersByte
      @SpydersByte 4 роки тому +33

      haha, sounds like a perfect excuse for putting in the wrong shot :D

    • @larryscott3982
      @larryscott3982 4 роки тому +21

      The bouncy balls don’t emit light. They’re invisible.
      I replayed that 3-4x to make sure I’m not losing my marbles

  • @JonathanSharman
    @JonathanSharman 4 роки тому +55

    I love how there are so many different "reversible" electric effects. Electricity moving magnetic field, electricity sound, electricity light, etc. Anything that can be a source of electricity can also be driven by electricity (are there any exceptions?).
    I suppose more generally, it's one form of energy another form, not just conversions involving electricity.

    • @davidgro2000
      @davidgro2000 2 роки тому +9

      An important exception is very close to the topic of this video: Electricity -> heat. While the Seebeck effect can turn a Difference of heat into electricity, it can't undo a resistive heater and turn heat itself back into power, it can just move heat from one place to another (while adding heat itself from its own resistive heating) In fact the second law of thermodynamics is basically 'Generating heat is one-way.'

    • @Amynon1660
      @Amynon1660 2 роки тому

      ​@@davidgro2000 If I understand correctly, you're saying that the Seebeck effect, and applications such as thermoelectric generators, can't remove heat from a system and convert it to electricity, only use differences in temperature to generate electricity? I can somewhat make sense of this, but it still confuses me at one point: if the difference of temperature is used to generate electricity, and we're not removing any heat from the system by doing so, what energy are we actually removing from the system and converting in a thermoelectric generator? My first thought is kinetic energy or the electrical potential that interplays with it similar to the ball analogy, but wouldn't removing kinetic energy from atoms/electrons result in removing heat?

    • @davidgro2000
      @davidgro2000 2 роки тому

      ​@@Amynon1660 I think the way that works is that a heat difference is a "thermal potential" like the way a height difference is a "gravitational potential" Everything tends toward having a ground/sea-level altitude be flat unless acted on by other forces, and everything tends to equilibrium temperature the same way. - and energy can certainly be extracted from a difference of heights (Ever see how the weights in a grandfather clock work?) so this is similar by analogy. Also by analogy, removing heat from a thermal system would be like removing mass from a gravitational system: It would still have to exist, just somewhere outside the system, which would also make that depend on how you define the system (easy enough for a fridge or a house AC system)

    • @Echinacae
      @Echinacae Рік тому

      ​@@davidgro2000I was going to mention delta T

  • @andrewhenderson3737
    @andrewhenderson3737 4 роки тому +1154

    Looks like you used the wrong take at 10:44. I don't see any balls in the video.

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 4 роки тому +56

      It does seem to be a photo

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  4 роки тому +749

      Damn, that's annoying. I was really pleased with that shot too. This one was a rush to get out on time so I missed it :(

    • @AdamJohnWilliams
      @AdamJohnWilliams 4 роки тому +362

      @@SteveMould i thought my brain was malfunctioning

    • @mixiekins
      @mixiekins 4 роки тому +77

      Ah, glad to know it isn't just my Chromecast crapping out again. No worries, these things happen. Thanks for putting together such a great explanation regardless! Your work is very appreciated!

    • @TheLunaLockhart
      @TheLunaLockhart 4 роки тому +110

      @@SteveMould would make sense to upload just that part unlisted just to show it off

  • @Simplicity4711
    @Simplicity4711 4 роки тому +398

    I admire this man. He does so well explaining in a charming and relaxing way. 🙂

    • @joseville
      @joseville 4 роки тому +3

      He really is one of the best and the topics are always so interesting!

    • @bc7495
      @bc7495 4 роки тому

      This os exactly why i explain complicated things in a british accent it never seems as patronizing her condescending when you use a British accent so I employed quite often

    • @corymc92
      @corymc92 4 роки тому

      For real, I actually learned

    • @Peter_1986
      @Peter_1986 4 роки тому +1

      "Charming" and "relaxed" are two traits that a lot of science teachers need to develop - especially math teachers, those guys are often grave and serious as fuck.

    • @joshyoung1440
      @joshyoung1440 4 роки тому +2

      Doesn't hurt that he's rather charming in a kind of mad scientist sort of way. Also he's got a killer smile

  • @rhombo323
    @rhombo323 3 роки тому +4

    As a plumber for years, that was the best explication of a thermocoupler and thermopile I've ever seen, explaining why it works, and how it effects the gas control valve

  • @evansaschow
    @evansaschow 4 роки тому +202

    The “Sea of Electrons” analogy is the E&M version of “Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” in cellular biology

    • @gregachard6375
      @gregachard6375 4 роки тому

      XD

    • @MCSteve_
      @MCSteve_ 4 роки тому +8

      @Cj Mitochondria is the organelle in eukaryotic cells responsible for generating chemical energy (ATP).

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 4 роки тому +3

      @@MCSteve_ and so much more

    • @sobtrax1846
      @sobtrax1846 4 роки тому

      lmao yes

    • @tp6335
      @tp6335 4 роки тому +4

      @A Fox Called Scrappy Tail they didn't get all that brain by sharing

  • @TheLastRealPanda
    @TheLastRealPanda 4 роки тому +75

    5:37 "the voltage you can get from this is much greater as you can see here" _multimeter set to Current_

    • @spruce_goose5169
      @spruce_goose5169 3 роки тому +5

      True, but if R is the same we then know V is higher.

    • @drlegendre
      @drlegendre 3 роки тому

      @Spruce
      No, we know that either V is higher -or- that R is lower - but not which one.

    • @strain121
      @strain121 3 роки тому

      @@drlegendre solid's R doesn't change by heat. Unless it's molten.

    • @caramelizedonorz2909
      @caramelizedonorz2909 3 роки тому +3

      @@strain121 It changes with T, though. Nonetheless, for alloys the increase of R with T is negligible for small ranges of T.

    • @eternalio5885
      @eternalio5885 3 роки тому

      @@strain121 The electrical resistance depends on 2 things: The Dimensions of the conductor and the Coefficient of resistivity of the conductor, which depends purely on temperature, not if it's molten or not.

  • @coryman125
    @coryman125 4 роки тому +15

    That whole idea of catching electricity in a loop is one I remember wondering about a lot when I was younger. Also glad Electroboom got a shoutout! It's nice having this channel explain the details behind how things work, then his to show practical applications (and ways to get hurt while using them)

  • @ChaosPootato
    @ChaosPootato 4 роки тому +6

    The thing about gas boilers absolutely blew my mind. I've ALWAYS wondered why you had to press the button for almost entire minutes for the thing to actually go. Thank you sir

  • @mailokirmes4350
    @mailokirmes4350 4 роки тому +44

    From what I understood (cuz I'm german) I think this is the best explanation for those two effects I've heard so far great video

  • @BleuSquid
    @BleuSquid 4 роки тому +19

    Crazy. I was literally just watching a 5-part series yesterday comparing the performance of different Peltier coolers.

    • @jeremyd6243
      @jeremyd6243 4 роки тому +4

      Do you remember what the series was called? I'm interested in building a project with them.

  • @sobriquet
    @sobriquet 4 роки тому +6

    I spent so much time wondering how the regulation of my gas supply worked without an electronic device! Thank you, it's much clearer now :)

  • @BillySugger1965
    @BillySugger1965 4 роки тому +8

    Thanks Steve. I’ve used the Peltier and Seebeck effects in engineering for years without understanding the energy distribution at the atomic levels. Now I have a basic understanding of the physics. Much appreciated!

  • @francescoghizzo
    @francescoghizzo 4 роки тому +139

    Actually there's a way to make the current go round and round forever: superconductors! (it won't go round forever by the way; only until you keep the material cool at temperatures near the absolute zero)

    • @mailokirmes4350
      @mailokirmes4350 4 роки тому +10

      I actually wanted to say exactly the same :D

    • @JanJeronimus
      @JanJeronimus 4 роки тому +13

      Wanted to say the same. Used in NMR and MRI (in hostpitals) equipment to create a strong magnetic field.

    • @koushikkashyap439
      @koushikkashyap439 4 роки тому +3

      @@mailokirmes4350 I wanted to reply the same to this comment..

    • @ItsaDigitalHamster
      @ItsaDigitalHamster 4 роки тому +5

      To continue this comment train, I also wanted to say the same. Superconducting magnets are awesome!

    • @supersmashsam
      @supersmashsam 4 роки тому +5

      For more info :
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_magnet
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistent_current

  • @user-cf8wl9hk2q
    @user-cf8wl9hk2q 4 роки тому +1

    Quite often I click on your videos thinking: "what a boring topic." But every time you seem to make it so interesting and I get lots of insights into my daily experiences because of your videos. Thank you so much! I'm an engineer and I love to understand the small principles behind certain mechanisms: quartz watch, boiler, ...

  • @ncot_tech
    @ncot_tech 4 роки тому +15

    Thermocouples fall into that magical category of electrical devices, along with strain gauges, piezo transducers and crystal oscillators - they sound like they should be really complex devices, but are ultimately just pieces of metal/whatever stuck together or shaped in specific patterns. No integrated circuits or code.

    • @clockworkkirlia7475
      @clockworkkirlia7475 4 роки тому

      I think that they're also great for tv technobabble because they sound esoteric enough that people who don't care won't care, while also being simple enough that a decent writer will be able to slot them together in ways that sort of make sense to people who do.

  • @DJ_Force
    @DJ_Force 4 роки тому +39

    The Seebeck effect, combined with some radioactive heat source, has powered everything from spacecraft to lighthouses in Russia.

    • @eriktrp
      @eriktrp 2 роки тому

      They have RTG lighthouses in Russia?

    • @mads.arnautov
      @mads.arnautov 2 роки тому

      I'll bet Iceland has some version of that as well, except geothermal!

  • @aditya95sriram
    @aditya95sriram 4 роки тому +108

    You earned a like just for decoding the mystical boiler pilot for me.

    • @SylasTheGreat
      @SylasTheGreat 4 роки тому

      @@MuddasirShah what?

    • @joshuaday3980
      @joshuaday3980 4 роки тому +1

      Been a maintenance person for years and never knew exactly how they worked either. Always thought you had to hold the pilot switch in to get the air out of the system which now that I think about it makes no sense. Thx for the info

  • @JustSilen
    @JustSilen 3 роки тому

    For 2 years now I'm working as a lab technician and last year we obtained a ''Graphic recorder'' which uses thermocouples. It's nice to finally understand the mechanism of the entire process through your explanations, since we use the same twisted thermocouple method to track temperature changes and record them into a graph when doing casting tests with our resins. Thanks a lot!

  • @Tutul_
    @Tutul_ 4 роки тому +9

    I've a project I want to do one day with the Peltier effect : Use a Peltier module between a CPU and the radiator to increase the cooling efficiency + thermal sensor and humidity sensor to calculate the dew point and avoid condensation on the motherboard. Because an offline Peltier module is a thermal conductor, when it's off, it should be sufficient to connect the CPU to the radiator and just wait for the temperature to rise a bit before switching it on again when far enough of the dew point. I had these idea after seeing people using it on a CPU with hydrophobic spray on the motherboard and the ice getting all over the place. But for now I don't have a radiator+socket that let me put something between them (probably one with screw may work or I need to find someone that can increase the size of the attachments for the radiator)

    • @Tutul_
      @Tutul_ 4 роки тому +2

      @@bosstowndynamics5488 it's for that reason I plan to test that on a 2003 motherboard with an unlocked CPU of that time so I can test the efficiency and temperature dissipation at different rate and power and see if it's something I can do on a newer setup. Don't forget that the Peltier will not be always ON and that a controller will stop it before the dew point. I can also monitor the radiator temperature and stop the Peltier module if the temperature is going to high

    • @PeterAbt
      @PeterAbt 4 роки тому

      @@Tutul_ how about using a real cooling system from a fridge?!

    • @Tutul_
      @Tutul_ 4 роки тому

      @@PeterAbt it's big, contain a toxic substance, need a compressor that do a lot of noise. I'm not sure if you were serious or just trolling

    • @leocurious9919
      @leocurious9919 4 роки тому

      @@Tutul_ You ask him if he is trolling when he tells you a way to actually pull that off... after you asked about doing it a way that is nearly impossible?
      Did you do any basic calculations? How much heat do you want to remove from the CPU?
      At what temperature is the CPU at that point?
      What is the ambient temperature?
      How efficient is it / how much energy does the peltier need when it has to move this heat with these two temperatures on its sides?
      Now you know how much heat has to be moved away from the peltier. How are you going to get that heat away?
      As a next step, after doing that and thinking about it:
      Notice that you would have to cool the peltiers hot side to ambient temperature, so the cooler would have to be absurdly good to cool it that far down (~impossible). So now you have a new temperature much higher than ambient on the hot side of the peltier. What is the efficiency now to move the CPU-heat at these 2 temperatures? How much heat is it on the hot side now? etc.

    • @siratomfitz
      @siratomfitz 2 роки тому

      @@leocurious9919 what reason exactly would require the hot side have to be at ambient temp? You have missed some crucial parts of this idea. I came to the comments for this exact idea, and it is definitely possible.

  • @ian6083
    @ian6083 3 роки тому +5

    Alternative ways of creating current and/or voltage in a loop is one of my favorite topics, so thank you very much for this demonstration Steve!

  • @cosmicjenny4508
    @cosmicjenny4508 4 роки тому +12

    The thermoelectric effect! I watched ElectroBOOM’s video where he used a component that demonstrated the thermoelectric effect, but I never understood how it worked. Now we have you explaining it for us!!

  • @sana_aln9195
    @sana_aln9195 3 роки тому

    I am so thankful to all these people making learning easier for peeps like us, who depend only on the internet for a better understanding. I literally get depressed with every passing day seeing the condition of teaching in our institutions. Its literally so bad, it can drive you crazy. May you all get all the success you deserve. Kudos to your efforts.

  • @ibanez7736
    @ibanez7736 4 роки тому +16

    This was great, I've always wondered how temperature and electricity were connected, thank you.

  • @Xambonii
    @Xambonii 4 роки тому

    Even as a mechanical engineer, I’ve never understood why I hate lighting pilot lights. Now I do. I love this channel!!!

  • @BeastlyKings
    @BeastlyKings 4 роки тому +3

    This was extremely informative thank you! I played with peltiers as a kid, but now I finally understand how they work internally. Thanks!

  • @atimholt
    @atimholt 4 роки тому +61

    Closer orbitals are just electromagnetism's “down”-literally.

  • @namewarvergeben
    @namewarvergeben 4 роки тому +7

    As a kid, back when LEGO had metal tracks for their trains, I stacked the little power-connectors on top of each other to "charge them" in the hopes I could run the train without the power cord.

  • @ElAnvaBar
    @ElAnvaBar 4 роки тому

    This topic made things make so much more sense to me about why they react/work the way they do. I mean, everyone knows that you had to wait a couple of seconds when starting a gasburner (boiler, heater or stove) but i didn't know exactly why it helped. I do now! Thanks Steve! Super topic! This is a real diamond that i didn't know i wanted to know, but i know now, this is a real good thing to know how!

  • @alexanderquilty5705
    @alexanderquilty5705 2 роки тому +4

    Learned about this in my Industrial Automation course! Thanks Craig Wilson! 😁👍🏻

  • @tomgarges7045
    @tomgarges7045 3 роки тому

    I’ve known these principles vaguely over the years. Your explanation was amazing. In addition , you never appear to be reading a script in any of your videos which leads me to believe that you really know your subject matter and didn’t just learn about it just to make a video.

  • @Loopy01
    @Loopy01 4 роки тому +7

    Really interesting video, and great to hear an ElectroBOOM shoutout!

  • @nrml76
    @nrml76 4 роки тому +1

    You forgot to mention Tech Ingredients who have made arguably the best series of videos on the peltier effect on youtube.

  • @ryanmalin
    @ryanmalin 4 роки тому +5

    I love how you learn and teach about everything! I have a similar philosophy about life. Cheers from Florida.
    -Florida Man

  • @BlueAngel778
    @BlueAngel778 4 роки тому

    I was reading a book to my kid about spacecraft and it mentioned that the generators on Voyager I and II use heat from the decay of plutonium to heat wire made of different metals to produce electricity. I always wondered how a radioactive source could make a small sustained electrical source and you video describes it perfectly.

  • @Miistooksoowoo
    @Miistooksoowoo 4 роки тому +3

    I love your videos. Finding out the science around objects so readily available in our everyday life is fascinating!

  • @Drackeye
    @Drackeye 2 роки тому

    I must say thankyou. You have potentially explained why the gas heater in my hallway randomly goes out. I was not aware those heaters have a thermal pile, or even what such a thing was, until now. Thankyou again.

  • @NetAndyCz
    @NetAndyCz 4 роки тому +5

    0:05 I remember as a kid I visited my friend who had some fancy set to make your circuit and such a nice wire. So I found a multi-plug thing on a cord that I suspect was unplugged (spoiler alert, the unplugged cable was from different one I did not see) and made the nicely U-shaped wire that would fit into and I wondered if it is possible to put it inside... And it was, the light started to glow, the lights were dark....in the whole building, not just my friend's apartment, so luckily for me no one knew I was responsible. I swear the wire was much shorter after my experiment. Oh yeah and I know I was lucky nothing happened to me.

  • @linuxguy1199
    @linuxguy1199 Рік тому +1

    7:00 You missed the whole point of using the thermopile, the main reason its used is simply that a thermopile is a fail safe device. It cannot fail in an unsafe manner, this makes a catastrophic failure in an unmaintained, never inspected appliance far more unlikely.

  • @Treblaine
    @Treblaine 4 роки тому +10

    Isn't "trapping electrons in a loop" how the powerful magnets in an MRI machine work? It's a loop of conductor bathed in liquid nitrogen so that they're cold enough to "super conduct" when the system is energised a massive amount of current is fed through momentarily then the current can be turned off and as long as you can keep it cool then that current continues to circulate.

    • @Berkeloid0
      @Berkeloid0 4 роки тому

      I believe that's the case but then you're also taught in electronics that all points along an ideal zero-resistance wire are at the same voltage, so how can you get a current flowing in a zero-resistance conductor if the whole thing is at the same voltage? You need a difference in voltage in order for current to flow.

    • @leomadero562
      @leomadero562 4 роки тому

      Well electricity cant flow at the speed of light can it? Can it? Idk dont got a degree in electricity

    • @Berkeloid0
      @Berkeloid0 4 роки тому

      @@leomadero562 It flows very close to the speed of light, the problem is it flows in all directions so if you don't have an external voltage pushing it in one direction then it tends to quickly spread out across a whole conductor.

    • @Berkeloid0
      @Berkeloid0 4 роки тому +2

      Curiosity got the better of me so I looked it up. Basically the MRI magnet is a huge inductor (like a transformer) so you can short circuit the windings and the current will continue to flow for a few months because like any inductor, it is constantly interacting with the magnetic field and it's this that allows the current to continue to flow after power is removed.
      A simplification is that the current flow pushes the magnetic field (then once it has spread out through the whole conductor it stops flowing as the whole wire is now at the same voltage), but then with no current flowing there's nothing pushing on the magnetic field any more so it collapses back to where it started which induces a voltage in the wire making the current flow again, then because the current is flowing it pushes on the magnetic field again, and it's this back and forth between flowing current and a magnetic field that allows the current to persist in the MRI magnet for months instead of immediately stopping when the power is removed.

  • @HelPfeffer
    @HelPfeffer 2 роки тому

    The first time I watched this video, I didn't actually understand it quite well. Now I do. It's amazing!

  • @covodex516
    @covodex516 4 роки тому +4

    Hey Steve, thanks for linking the Alpha Phoenix channel - didn't know about it and am very fascinated.
    Also, once again a very informative video of yours!

  • @Garbaz
    @Garbaz 4 роки тому +1

    Happy to see the AlphaPhoenix shout out! Love that guys stuff and I've always been astonished now little attention he gets, so here's hoping you give him a little boost in viewers :)

  • @mtranchi
    @mtranchi 4 роки тому +54

    The ol' invisible bouncy balls... ? 10:37

    • @blackburn3r
      @blackburn3r 4 роки тому +3

      Why can't you guys see he balls. It's super tiny. Icncreadentesolutionto4kandwath

    • @prakharmishra3000
      @prakharmishra3000 4 роки тому +2

      @@blackburn3r what happened to space key at the end?lol.

    • @grndkntrl
      @grndkntrl 4 роки тому +2

      Duh! They're atomic scale! ;·)

    • @PeterAbt
      @PeterAbt 4 роки тому +2

      @@grndkntrl using special enhancement technologies they are visible now!

  • @davidadams421
    @davidadams421 4 роки тому

    Need to re-watch this, not because I didn't understand it, but because it was such an awesome explanation of this phenomenon!!

  • @stasbucik6234
    @stasbucik6234 4 роки тому +4

    Also you can make current run arround by linearly increasing the magnetic field through the loop

  • @fitzroyfastnet
    @fitzroyfastnet 4 роки тому

    Best explanation of the Seebeck effect I've seen. Most discussions of thermocouples emphasize the junctions, which are beside the point. Nice.

  • @aaabbb-gu5pz
    @aaabbb-gu5pz 2 роки тому +3

    Very clear and graphical description of these quantum effects. Thank, you!

  • @showdoctors_com
    @showdoctors_com 4 роки тому +1

    You have a good patience and perciverance. You are great... if you have made this video yourself....

  • @MalcolmAkner
    @MalcolmAkner 4 роки тому +3

    Wow, thank you for finally explaining how a peltier device works, I've always been confused by that!

  • @Obleddo
    @Obleddo Рік тому

    Brilliant! I have so much respect for people who can explain something. I really think that if you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it.

  • @No-uc6fg
    @No-uc6fg 4 роки тому +4

    I finally got to understand Thermoelectrics, thank you.

  • @DrakiniteOfficial
    @DrakiniteOfficial 4 роки тому

    It's amazing how all these material properties that transfer energy from/to electrical energy are reversible. The Piezoelectric effect is reversible, you can generate electricity by turning a motor, and there's this effect that you just discussed.
    Physics truly is amazing.

  • @martinstent5339
    @martinstent5339 4 роки тому +4

    That thing that Steve tries right at the start .. where he puts current in a loop and joins the ends together .. Well, I’ve been doing that successfully for years! That’s how superconductive magnets work, for example in MRI systems in hospitals. You “break” the link by warming it up a little and then put a LOT of current (typically several hundred amps) into the superconductive coil, and then re-join the ends by allowing the link to become superconductive again. And presto! As long as the coil stays at liquid helium temperatures, the current will flow forever. And the magnetic field will stay there forever!. Strange but true.

    • @David-lr2vi
      @David-lr2vi 4 роки тому +1

      And we waste helium in party balloons when the world has sfa helium! When the helium runs out no more MRI machines!

    • @martinstent5339
      @martinstent5339 4 роки тому +1

      @@David-lr2vi Exactly! Most people who buy party balloons don’t realise that the helium in their balloon will actually drift off into space after the balloon bursts and be lost forever from planet earth. At some time in the future, not only no more MRI, but also no more Cern! A sad thought.

  • @benjamincasatimcintosh2918
    @benjamincasatimcintosh2918 2 роки тому

    I remember last year in school we had a bit about thermocouples and their names/uses and ranges of measurement. The book talked very lightly about the Seebeck effect. Thanks a lot

  • @RobinDuckett
    @RobinDuckett 4 роки тому +72

    When you go to show the "actual" bouncing balls, there's a shot of a table that has no balls in it :/ 10:38

  • @CmdrKeene
    @CmdrKeene 3 роки тому

    "where to put into less anthropomorphical words..."
    Steve is one of my favorite science teachers for a variety of reasons but this especially. Something about my brain always gets incredibly hung up when people use anthropomorphical attributions and it distracts me deeply... But Steve always calls out that usage in such a way that it totally disarms me and and I don't get stuck. It's maybe my brain is broken in just that way, but it's always appreciated

  • @Mikeztarp
    @Mikeztarp 4 роки тому +157

    "The Atomic Scale Jiggle" sounds like a good name for a very silly-looking dance.

    • @collinbarker
      @collinbarker 4 роки тому +1

      Is that when you have an old person do the very small dance moves to upbeat music? Like the rubbing fists together one?

    • @collinbarker
      @collinbarker 4 роки тому +1

      @Mycel Yes, but you wanted an atomic scale one. So you need a "boomer" doing it for peak atomic

    • @Farmfield
      @Farmfield 4 роки тому +2

      It's the only dance you do while not dancing. 😁

    • @TimeIsMine93
      @TimeIsMine93 4 роки тому

      Or a Queen cover band

    • @consubandon
      @consubandon 4 роки тому

      That dance would be the equivalent of the "animation" of the balls falling onto the floor/table: Not much to see in it.

  • @user23724
    @user23724 4 роки тому +1

    Every single video you make is absolute quality content. You're very good at explaining things in an easy to understand way.

  • @antonialiesa8406
    @antonialiesa8406 4 роки тому +24

    5:40 "the voltage you can get from it is much greater, as you can see here"
    ...
    proceeds to show us amperage^^

    • @tissuepaper9962
      @tissuepaper9962 4 роки тому +9

      V = IR dawg, if there's a current, there's a voltage.
      Don't be pedantic when it literally wouldn't change anything about the quality of the explanation.

    • @JNCressey
      @JNCressey 4 роки тому

      @@tissuepaper9962, what if it's a thermistor with a negative coefficient?

    • @tissuepaper9962
      @tissuepaper9962 4 роки тому +5

      @@JNCressey But it isn't? If it were, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

  • @soikatmaji4685
    @soikatmaji4685 2 роки тому +1

    Finally someone cleared all of my confusion.. Thanks Steve😊

  • @DanielPradoBurgos
    @DanielPradoBurgos 4 роки тому +8

    "The electrons on the wires go round and round, round and round, round and round. The electrons on the wires go round and round, all over toooown"

  • @lemon93
    @lemon93 4 роки тому

    I even opend it up in reference to the peltier element, what a legend

  • @Muonium1
    @Muonium1 4 роки тому +4

    every close up image of every outer planet and moon and comet you have ever seen was captured and sent back to Earth because of this, the Seebeck effect, and some hot lumps of plutonium to make it go. thank you plutonium ❤️☢️⚡

  • @CyberCatTechnologies
    @CyberCatTechnologies 4 роки тому

    The thumbnail kind of suggested to me (in my thoughts for a moment) that this video was about perpetual motion. But boy I'm glad I clicked, learnt a lot. Thanks for the details and the terminologies.. awesome work.

  • @AdibasWakfu
    @AdibasWakfu 4 роки тому +8

    The neighbours kids annoyed me by loudly bouncing in the yeard. Well lets just say 11:49

  • @analogplanet9675
    @analogplanet9675 2 роки тому +1

    Of course you *can* catch magnetism in a loop... bet steve could make some cool demos showing that.

  • @Swabey89
    @Swabey89 4 роки тому +5

    Great video Steve, the bit about boilers got me thinking of another one of their interesting features...flame rectification! Maybe a future video?

  • @winterwierdo
    @winterwierdo 4 роки тому +1

    Thanks so much for making a video on this! It is a really fascinating principle. I wanted to say that the master volume on your video was extremely low this time. Even with my volume turned all the way up it's hard to hear without headphones.
    I am familiar with the peltier effect from My friend who works at the railroad says they use them to power the equipment in the event of a power out. That's why you see propane tanks alongside of train tracks.
    My parents also have some ice chest coolers that are electric, plug them into the 12 volt outlet on the car and it creates about a 25f difference in temperature to the ambient

  • @planktonfun1
    @planktonfun1 4 роки тому +4

    hey was about to research this, youtube is scary sometimes, pretty cool!
    unfortunately the efficiency of this is very low but its a no moving parts so thats good

  • @REdgar66
    @REdgar66 4 роки тому +2

    I always learn something new or more in-depth every time I watch this channel.

  • @davidschoen641
    @davidschoen641 4 роки тому +13

    5:38 "the voltage you can get from it is much greater as you can see here" ... shows current on multimeter :p

    • @vonSachsenbach
      @vonSachsenbach 4 роки тому +2

      Current is a function of voltage.

    • @davidschoen641
      @davidschoen641 4 роки тому +6

      @@vonSachsenbach and resistance... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you're going to show a higher voltage, stick the DMM on voltage.

    • @Karreth
      @Karreth 4 роки тому +3

      Between that, the electrons going from + to - and the wrong shot used for the bouncing balls, you can really tell this one was rushed, yeah.

    • @antonialiesa8406
      @antonialiesa8406 4 роки тому +3

      @@Karreth if you are referring to 4:35 for the +- thing, it actually makes sense in this case, because we are talking about a current inducing a voltage not the other way around. the electrons aren't moving due to an abundance of electrons as we are used to, but due to heating. the original source of the electrons is in this case positively charged as weird as that might seem.

  • @ashwynn4177
    @ashwynn4177 4 роки тому +1

    You sir are seriously talented in explanation. I learnt ALOT.

  • @CYXXYC
    @CYXXYC 4 роки тому +11

    Steve: "Free moving electrons"
    Me watching this at 2 AM: "...only 3??"

    • @nikk-named
      @nikk-named 4 роки тому +1

      Only three electrons can move freely in fhe entire universe, how we get electricity is a mystery which science cannot explain

    • @Transyst
      @Transyst 4 роки тому

      ... walk into a bar

  • @nkliewer
    @nkliewer 4 роки тому +1

    Love the video. Excellent description! You are truly a modern day Feynman!

  • @jotha885
    @jotha885 4 роки тому +13

    The emperor's new bouncy balls :)

  • @collinpearsall9084
    @collinpearsall9084 4 роки тому

    A lot of gas fired heating devices actually use a flame rod rather than a thermocouple. Flame rods are kept at a positive voltage, then when they're inside a flame they attract the negative ions in the flame and a current flows. The third option is to use an RTD which is just a resistor that changes resistance with temperature.

  • @apathtrampledbydeer8446
    @apathtrampledbydeer8446 4 роки тому +5

    Me: Hears Seebeck effect
    My metalhead brain: Sacrifice unto Sebek by Nile
    Conclusion: oh s that song was about generating electricity... Makes sense
    The Seebeck effect is so metal!!

  • @prachethire812
    @prachethire812 3 роки тому

    As a electronics guy, what I understand that all the sensors and transducers used in electronics are based on core physics principles. Like hall effect, peltier effect, seeback effect and it's very useful to know about the physics behind it. So, thanks Steve.

  • @Gehr96
    @Gehr96 4 роки тому +6

    10:39 Are we supposed to see something there?

    • @plutotheplanet5341
      @plutotheplanet5341 4 роки тому +5

      It's confirmed... People don't have imagination anymore.

  • @gustavgnoettgen
    @gustavgnoettgen 4 роки тому +1

    I didn't understand that both wires do the same thing, thanks for the usual high quality content!

  • @cembora4849
    @cembora4849 4 роки тому +3

    Go and check alpha phoenix, you will not dissapoint.

  • @joshua1188
    @joshua1188 2 роки тому

    Amazing demonstration with the copper wire and iron cable. I'm impressed

  • @tmuthukumar4392
    @tmuthukumar4392 4 роки тому +3

    Whats you name

    • @priff1376
      @priff1376 7 місяців тому

      sneve mold

    • @bennettsprague4804
      @bennettsprague4804 7 місяців тому

      My name jeff

    • @deleted_handle
      @deleted_handle 5 місяців тому

      joe

    • @brlinf06398
      @brlinf06398 5 місяців тому

      seve suckyou
      yes I'm going to **** this guy because he doesn't know the channel making a video

  • @deltaforce229
    @deltaforce229 4 роки тому

    Was discussing peltier devices at work (and heat exchangers, energy efficiencies, etc. It's hot out, what else are we going to talk about?) then I come home to find this pleasant surprise! I feel like everyone has chased perpetual energy at one point or another.

  • @heinrichburmeister1291
    @heinrichburmeister1291 4 роки тому +6

    Steve you're such a troll. Got me to rewatch a still frame twice.

    • @PeterAbt
      @PeterAbt 4 роки тому

      rewatch it now! - you will be amazed! ;) 10:37

    • @evol-yu4mu
      @evol-yu4mu 4 роки тому

      WHAT IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT i DON'T UNDERSTAND

  • @joshyoung1440
    @joshyoung1440 3 роки тому

    Steve is so gosh-darn charming with just that perfect tinge of kooky to make him utterly endearing, I want this man to have his own daily show

  • @MonkeySimius
    @MonkeySimius 2 роки тому

    Oh... You answered two things I was curious about recently. I failed to relight a pilot because I didn't hold down the button. Now I know why that works how it does. I was also curious how my electric food thermometer actually measured temperature. I figured out that it was basically only measuring it at the tip but everything else was magic. This video answered how that works for me as well. Thanks.
    Cliffs: Magic

  • @BinaryDash
    @BinaryDash 4 роки тому

    Seebeck Effect -> Temperature difference into current
    Peltier Effect -> Current into temperature difference
    Together they're known as the Thermoelectric Effect (search for this on wikipedia).
    Seebeck Effect analogus to heating fluids where the increased pressure (ie. electromagnetic charge) difference in one wire outweighs the pressure difference in the other resulting in a net movement of electrons around the circuit.
    Peltier Effect analogus to pushing bouncy balls from a high surface to a lower one (ie. greater gravitational potential energy), which results in either higher or lower bounces (ie. thermal energy) resulting in a change in temperature overall.
    The effects can be increased by adding modules in series, to eg. produce enough current to control a solenoid valve for a gas pilot light, or to create a Peltier Element which i've seen used by Linus Tech Tips as part of a CPU cooling system.

  • @orangutanlibrarian
    @orangutanlibrarian 4 роки тому +1

    This has confused me for years. Now I get it. Thanks

  • @ayo4646
    @ayo4646 4 роки тому

    You stare directly into my soul, I can feel my sound getting sucked out.

  • @Kerbezena
    @Kerbezena 4 роки тому +1

    I just found this channel 🐿️ and I cannot get over how good it is 🤯

    • @Neon-ws8er
      @Neon-ws8er 3 роки тому

      Me too 🐫 I mean, it is really good 🤯

  • @praneeth6005
    @praneeth6005 4 роки тому

    I had this concept in thermodynamics subject in engineering but never understood clearly back then. Now its making sense

  • @LeoStaley
    @LeoStaley 4 роки тому +3

    "Unless they're at absolute zero, which is... rare." top lol, high quality, better than Matt Parker, do continue.

    • @87mits
      @87mits 4 роки тому

      Doubt it's a competition, but agreed

  • @ayhamsaffar8407
    @ayhamsaffar8407 4 роки тому

    I like your explanation for the peltier effect. I wrote an essay on this back in school (specifically on how NASA engineer thermocouples in RTGs in their probes) but i avoided talking about the peltier effect as i could never relate any of the models explained to the actual electrostatics. Really good job on this one!

  • @75blackviking
    @75blackviking 2 роки тому +1

    Best explanation of the Seebeck effect I've ever heard. Such a great channel.

  • @Karreth
    @Karreth 4 роки тому

    @4:14 While we say that the current goes from + to -, the actual electrons go from - to + (they are after all negatively charged, so a negative charge indicates a relative abundance of electrons). It's a very important distinction when you start going into material science.