Wilesco Steam Engines


Ted Beyer, Educational Innovations

By Ted Beyer

Educational Innovations has carried Wilesco model steam engines off and on for years.  But why?  They’re just toys, right?  Well, no—they are so very much more.

If you apply some critical thinking to a steam engine and its accessories, you will discover that you have a wonderful practical demonstration of a bunch of scientific principles, many of which are pretty basic.

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What is a Radiometer?


Tami O'Connor, Educational Innovationsby: Tami O’Connor – Taken From Litetronics

The radiometer is a light bulb-shaped device containing an object that looks like a weather vane (wings arranged in a circle like spokes of a wheel).  Developed to measure the intensity of radiant energy, or heat, the radiometer will:

  1. Help you understand the principles of energy conversion.
  2. Show how heat and mechanical energy are products of energy conversion.

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