ELECTRICITY:

INTRODUCTION:

Electricity is the most widely used form of energy. Electricity runs our fridges,
washing machines and in general, all electrical appliances in the kitchen.
Electricity will probably power all future cars' motor.

1 ELECTRIC CHARGE
1.1 The atom:
To understand static electricity, we have to know the atom, how big it is and its
structure. In other words, what is all the stuff around us made of?.
There are 115 kinds of atoms and all of them are
different from each other. All of them are made up
of a "nucleus" situated in the middle of each atom.
The nucleus contains two important kinds of tiny
particles, called protons and neutrons. Orbiting
around the nucleus are smaller particles called
electrons.
Have a look at the atom structure.
Electrons orbit in the space surrounding the
nucleus. Electrons are attracted to the protons and repelled by other electrons.
These forces are called electrostatic forces.
The electrons are said to be negatively charged and the protons positively
charged. In conductive materials, such as metals, the outermost electron in the
atom is basically free, so it is very easy for it to leave the atom and move around
in the space between the atoms.
Conductors are made up of atoms whose electrons are able to escape from the
atom's influence. In a metal, some electrons are not stuck (fixed) to any particular
atom and are free to wander in the metal.
Examples of conductors: Gold, Silver, Copper, Aluminium
On the other hand, in Insulator materials the outermost electron in the atom is
tightly bonded to the nucleus by a electrostatic force. In this case, most electrons
are attached to particular atoms. Almost none are free to wander through the

material, and this prevent the flow of electricity.Examples of insulators: Glass,

Porcelain, Plastic, Rubber

Electric charge is a property of all objects and is responsable for electrical

phenomena

1.2 Types of current : AC/ DC

What does it mean: ac/dc? Ok, apart from a rock group?
There're two types of current, defined based on the directions of the movement of
the electrons. An electric current is called a direct current (d.c.) if electrons always
flows in one direction. An electric caused by a chemical cell or a battery is a direct
current.
If an electric current in a circuit reverses direction every so often, it is called an
alternating current (a.c.). For example, the current that flows through an domestic
light bulb when connected to the mains electricity supply reverses direction 100
times every second and is therefore an alternating current.
2 ELECTRIC CIRCUITS

A electric circuit is a set of connected components through which an electric

current circulates

Components of an electric circuit:

A generator: it provides the energy necessary to move the electrons. It

produces a continous electric current. There are different kind of generators:
batteries, dynamos, photovoltaic solar cells

Receptors: they are the components that transform electrical energy into
another type of energy. Examples: abulb, a resistor, a bell, a motor

Control and protections elements: they control and protect the circuits.
Control components: a switch has two options: closed ( the
current passes / open : the current is not
allowed to pass )
a changeover switch: has two outputs
a push button: it has one position when you press
it and it returns to a fixed position when you stop
pressing
Protection components: stop the current when it is too strong and avoid the
components to be damaged ( fuses )

Representations and symbols: a diagram of a electric circuit is a graphic

repreentation using symbols for the componnets of the circuit:

Types of circuits:
Series circuits: they are circuits with only a single path for electricity to flow along

Parallel circuits. They are electric circuits with multiple pathways for electricity to flow
along .

3. ELECTRIC MAGNITUDES
The basic electric magnitudes are: voltage, current and resistance
Look at the circuit of the image. How does it work ?How can the flow of water
through the upper pipe be increased ?

The charge is the amount of electricity stored in an object. It is the equivalent of

the volume of water in the upper container in the water circuit.

To understand the electric magnitudes we can compare them to the water system
above:
VOLTAGE: is the difference between the electrical energy at two pints in a circuit.
The charges always moves from the point where the energy is highest to the
lowest point. This energy is equivalent to the height in the water system. If tgere is
no voltage there in no current. Voltage is represented by the letter V and the unit is
the VOLT ( V ) This is also called potentrial difference

CURRENT: is the number of electrons that pass through a specific point in 1

second. It is represented by the letter I and is measured in Amperes or Amps ( A )

RESISTANCE: is the opposition of the componets of a circuit to the flow of the

electric current. It is equivalent to the obstacles that the water finds when flowing
through the pipe , It is represented by the letter R and is measured in Ohms ( )
We can use multiples and submultiples of these units of measuremts. Voltage can
be expressed in miliviolts ( mV). Current can be expressed in miliamperes ( mA) ad
resistence can be expressed in kiloohms ( K )

MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
There are differents instruments to measure electric magnitudes:
A voltmeter: measures the voltage of a component You connect the instrument in
parallel
An ammeter: measures the current. You connect it is series
A multImeter: measures differents electrical magnitudes on different scales

4.- OHMs LAW

What is the relationship between voltage, current and resistance?
Geroge Ohm was a German physicist who first studied the relationship between
the lectrical magnitudes. In 1822 he conducted an experiment. Nowdays the
relationship between V, I and R is called Ohms law and is expressed
mathematically as:
V=I*R

This shows that the current and voltage are directedly proportional for any given
resistance

ACTIVITIES

1.- Calculate

the voltage of a battery if the resistance is 10 Ohms and the current is

0.24 amperes.

2.- Calculate the resistance of a bulb if a current of 0.5 amperes flows through it
and the battery is 6 volts.

3.- Calculate the values that should be shown on the two meters.

4.- Match the words with the pictures

Resistance

Electrical motor

Light bulb or lamp

Push Button

Stamp or buzzer
Battery o Cell

Switch

5 Find the following words in the word puzzle.

Current

Battery

Light

Swicth

Ampere

Ohm

Static

6. Calculate the value of the voltage

6V

6V

12

4V

6V

3V

18

Electric

Series & Parallel Circuits

B
Diagram 1

Diagram 2

A
C

1. What components do the letters A, B and C represent?

A................................. B..................................... C...................................

2. What is the name given to the way the bulbs are arranged in Diagram 1?

3. What is the name given to the way the bulbs are arranged in Diagram 2?

4. In a series circuit, like in Diagram 1, how is the brightness of the first bulb
affected when the second bulb is connected? Explain why this happens?

5. In a parallel circuit, like in Diagram 2, how is the brightness of the first bulb
affected when the second bulb is connected? Explain why this happens?

6. Give one example of where we might find a series circuit in everyday life.

7. Give one example of where we might find a parallel circuit in everyday life.

8. Explain one advantage of using a parallel circuit rather than a series circuit.

Dan and Tom build a circuit like the one shown below.

(a) Name the component labelled X ........................................................

(b) What are Dan and Tom using the component labelled X to measure?

(c) Dan says, Ammeter 1 will show a lower reading than Ammeter 2 because the
bulbs in the circuit use up the current.
Tom says, Ammeter 1 will show the same reading as Ammeter 2 because
current is not used up.
Who is right? ..................................................

(d) If Ammeter 1 has a reading of 1.5A, what reading will Ammeter 2

show? ....................A

9. (a) The circuit above contains 2 cells. Describe what would happen to the
bulbs if Dan and Tom added another cell.

(b) Describe how the reading on the reading on the ammeters would change if
another cell was added to the circuit.