how does a water wheel (the kind you see that picks up water and causes motion)work . my basic design is to have a mini water wheel with a spoke in the middle attached to a gear that moves another gear turning the main generator rod to produce electricity
There are two basic kinds of water wheel. The first kind is a paddle wheel that has it's bottom edge dipped into flowing water that doesn't really change level. The second kind is a bucket wheel. On this the water comes out of a spout at the top of the wheel. The change in elevation means more energy is transferred per amount of water. Power plants use a type of turbine, essentially a fan in a tube of water.
