Construction and analysis of a mini Tesla coil as an educational support elemento

Abstract

This article presents an assembly manual for a Tesla coil prototype using low-cost materials, developed to meet the needs of public education in Brazil. Public education in Brazil faces significant challenges, including a lack of structural and teaching resources. This makes it difficult to teach complex subjects such as Physics, which require experimental resources to understand the concepts. The Tesla coil prototype is built from low-cost materials such as acrylic, PVC, copper and electronic components. The coil has a base with 26 concentric circles, which allows vertical mobility. For qualitative analysis, the coil is used to ionize a fluorescent lamp, which turns on only when approached. For quantitative analysis, the coil is coupled to a Gaussometer, which measures the magnetic field values at different distances from the coil. In other words, we model the relationship between the distance from the sensor to the coil and the value of the measured magnetic field. Tests carried out in two public schools demonstrated that the coil is capable of arousing students' curiosity and interest in experimental Physics. The students were impressed by the effect of the electrical sparks produced by the coil, and showed interest in learning more about the concepts involved. The prototype presented is a valuable tool for teaching Physics in public high schools. The coil is affordable, easy to build and can be used to carry out experiments in Physics classes, electives and in-depth courses.