Simple Demonstration of the Seebeck Effect.

TLDR: In this paper, a simple and low-cost experimental set-up through which science educators can demonstrate the Seebeck effect using a thermocouple and an instrumentation amplifier is proposed.

Abstract: In this article we propose a simple and low-cost experimental set-up through which science educators can demonstrate the Seebeck effect using a thermocouple and an instrumentation amplifier. The experiment can be set up and conducted during a 1-hour laboratory session. When a temperature gradient is introduced along the length of a metal wire, electrons start to diffuse from one end to the other end of the wire (Chambers, 1977). The direction of electron diffusion depends on the electrical properties of the metal wire. By convention, if electrons diffuse from the hot end towards the cool end of the wire, a negative thermoelectric emf is generated in the wire with respect to the hot end. Similarly, if electrons diffuse from the cool end towards the hot end of the wire, a positive thermoelectric emf is generated in the wire with respect to the hot end. This phenomenon in metals, known as the Seebeck effect, was first observed by physicist Thomas Johann Seebeck (1770-1831). Seebeck observed that when two dissimilar metal wires are formed into a closed loop and its two junctions are held at different temperatures, it has the ability to deflect a galvanometer needle. The phenomenon was later attributed to electrical current through the wires.