Rotor (electric) facts for kids
A rotor is the spinning part inside an electric motor or an electric generator. It's like the heart of these machines, making them move or create electricity. The rotor spins because of special forces between its wires and the magnetic fields inside the machine. These forces create a twisting power called torque, which makes the rotor rotate.
What is a Rotor?
The word "rotor" comes from "rotate," which means to spin around. In electric machines, the rotor is the part that does the spinning. It works together with another part called the stator, which stays still.
How Does a Rotor Work?
Inside an electric motor or generator, there are strong magnetic fields. The rotor has coils of wire or magnets on it. When electricity flows through the wires on the rotor (or when the rotor spins through a magnetic field), it creates its own magnetic field. The interaction between the rotor's magnetic field and the stator's magnetic field causes the rotor to spin. This spinning motion is what makes motors run or generators produce electricity.
Where Can You Find Rotors?
Rotors are essential parts of many machines we use every day:
- Electric Motors: They are in everything from your blender and washing machine to electric cars and large factory machines. The rotor's spin makes these devices work.
- Electric Generators: These machines create electricity. Large generators in power plants, like those at Hoover Dam, use huge rotors that spin very fast to produce the electricity that powers our homes and cities.
- Wind Turbines: The giant blades of a wind turbine are connected to a rotor inside a generator. As the wind spins the blades, the rotor spins and creates electricity.
Images for kids
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A selection of various types of rotors
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A huge rotor from a generator at the Hoover Dam
