STEM Week 2025 part 3

Wind Turbine Design Challenge – Grade 11 Science

As part of an exciting hands-on experiment, our Grade 11 students worked in teams to design and build model wind turbines. Their challenge: create a turbine capable of lifting a cup filled with coins off the floor, powered only by the force of a hair dryer.

Before construction began, students discussed key design variables that could impact their turbine’s performance, including:

Blade shape

Blade size

Blade thickness

Number of blades

With these factors in mind, each group carefully designed, built, and tested their turbines in a spirited "wind power" competition.

Following the challenge, students calculated the power output of their turbines using the formula:

Power = (m × g × h) ÷ t

where:

m = mass of the cup and coins,

g = acceleration due to gravity,

h = height lifted,

t = time taken.