1The Magic of Temperature Energy
Did you know that you can create a flow of electricity just by using hot and cold temperatures? This is called the thermoelectric effect, or specifically the Seebeck Effect. In the world of science, everything likes to be balanced. When you take a special material and make one side very hot while the other side stays freezing cold, the tiny particles inside called electrons get excited! They start rushing from the hot side toward the cold side to try and spread the energy out. This rushing movement of electrons is exactly what an electric current is.
2Powering the Final Frontier
One of the most amazing uses of this technology is way up in outer space. Deep-space probes like Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are billions of miles away from the sun, which means solar panels are useless because it is too dark. Instead, these machines carry a tiny heat source. By using the extreme cold of space on the outside and the heat source on the inside, the probes create enough electricity to power their cameras and computers for over 40 years! Because there are no moving parts like fans or engines, there is nothing to wear out or break down in the middle of the galaxy.
3Heating and Cooling Your World
This science also works in reverse, which is called the Peltier Effect. If you send electricity through these special materials, they can actually force one side to become icy cold and the other to become burning hot. This is how some high-tech car seats can chill your back on a summer day or warm you up in the winter without using a noisy air conditioner. You can even find small portable coolers that use this "magic" science to keep your drinks cold on a camping trip using only a battery!
