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Waterwheel Mill
About this simulation
Students drag the wooden gate up to let water through, drag the pond surface to change river height and click the millstone to lift it. A slider sets the millstone load and a toggle shows water drops. Readouts show water flow, wheel torque, wheel speed, power to the stone and flour ground. The wheel is 4 metres across. It shows how falling water turns an overshot wheel and gears, and how power depends on how much water flows and how far it falls.
What students can explore
- Drag the gate up a little and watch the Water flow Q and Wheel speed readouts.
- Drag the pond surface higher and see how flow and power change.
- Raise Millstone load and watch the Wheel speed slow while torque rises.
- Click the millstone to lift it and watch the wheel spin faster with no load.
- Turn Show water drops off to follow the buckets more clearly.
- Find the gate and load settings that give the most Flour ground over a minute.
Learning objectives
- 1Describe how falling water turns an overshot waterwheel.
- 2Relate water flow and drop height to the power available.
- 3Explain how a heavier load slows the wheel.
- 4Connect waterwheels to medieval and Roman mills.
Questions teachers ask
Is it free?
Yes. the Waterwheel Mill is free and needs no sign-up. It runs in any modern browser, including interactive whiteboards, tablets and phones, so you can open it straight from a lesson link.
How does an overshot waterwheel work?
Water from a millrace pours into buckets on the top of the wheel. The weight of the filled buckets turns it, and gears carry the motion to the millstone.
What affects the power?
Power equals efficiency times water density times g times flow rate times drop height, P equals eta rho g Q h. More water or a bigger drop gives more power.
How do I use it?
Drag the wooden gate up to open it, drag the pond surface to change the river height, and click the millstone to lift it. Use the load slider to change grinding.
Embed this simulation
Drop it into your LMS, blog, or class site — free.
<iframe src="https://kiwibee.io/en/simulations/waterwheel-mill-3d-simulation/embed" title="Waterwheel Mill | KiwiBee" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;height:min(70vh,620px);min-height:420px;border:0;border-radius:16px"></iframe>Continue exploring
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