Skip to main content

TED-Ed

How to squeeze electricity out of crystals - Ashwini Bharathula

698,086 Views

4,958 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

It might sound like science fiction, but if you press on a crystal of sugar, it will actually generate its own electricity. This simple crystal can act like a tiny power source because sugar happens to be piezoelectric. Ashwini Bharathula explains how piezoelectric materials turn mechanical stress, like pressure, sound waves and other vibrations into electricity, and vice versa.

Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.


About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

Educator
Ashwini Bharathula
Script Editor
Eleanor Nelsen
Animator
Ricky Earl, Henry Chung, Noel Yenki Wong
Designer
Nicola Coppack, James Hing, Tom Jordan
Composer
Tom Jordan
Associate Producer
Jessica Ruby
Content Producer
Gerta Xhelo
Editorial Producer
Alex Rosenthal
Narrator
Pen-Pen Chen

More from Actions and Reactions