ELECTRICITY

Recall: Electricity is a form of energy caused by the flow of electrons between atoms. Conductors
such as metals facilitate this flow of electricity and insulators impede this flow of electricity.
Conductors are usually metals, which are atoms with 1, 2 or 3 electrons in their outer shells.

Electrons have a negative charge. Electrical charges can be positive or negative. Rubbing or friction
can cause electrons to become loosely bound resulting in charged surfaces.

STATIC ELECTRICITY- This is the form of electricity resulting from

the imbalance between the positive and negative charges within
a material. (static means it does not move)

Examples of Static Electricity

 Shocks from everyday objects.

 Lightning.

 A charged balloon sticking to a wall.

 Charged comb picking up small pieces of paper.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN WORKING WITH ELECTRICITY

Electrical safety is a general practice of handling and maintaining electrically powered equipment to
prevent electric shock and even death. Some precautions include:

Never touch circuits, switches or plug in appliances with wet hands.

Never use electrical equipment with damaged wires or damaged insulation.

Always use insulated tools while working with electricity.

Electrical sockets should have covers to prevent children from sticking items in them.

Earth off or ground off buildings and appliances. The ground wire is the 3rd pin in the 3 pin plug.

Do not overload electrical outlets.

Do not charge cell phone on bed, as it may cause over heating.

Do not use electrical appliances near water.

Do not fly kites near power lines or during a thunderstorm.

ASSIGNMENT

Create cartoon strip/ posters to educate the public on the proper handling of electricity.

 Create a poster showing dangers when electricity is not used properly at home
 CIRCUITS
Key points

 Circuit diagrams are used to show how electrical components are connected in a circuit.

 Individual circuit components are represented using circuit symbols.

 Ammeters are used to measure the current flowing through components. Voltmeters are
used to measure the potential difference across components.

Circuit diagrams

An electrical circuit is a path or line through

which an electrical current flows. The path may
be closed (joined at both ends), making it a loop.

A closed circuit makes electrical current flow

possible.
An open circuit is where the electron flow is cut
short because the path is broken. An open
circuit does not allow electrical current to flow.

A simple circuit has conductors, a switch, a load and a power source. Here are the functions
of each part:

Conductors:
These are usually copper wires with no insulation. They make the path through which the
electricity flows. One piece of the wire connects the current from the power source (cell) to
the load. The other piece connects the load back to the power source.

Switch:
The switch is simply a small gap in the conductor where you can close or open the circuit.
When the switch is closed, the circuit is closed and electricity flows.

The Load:
The load is a small light bulb or buzzer that lights when the circuit is turned on. The load is
also known as a resistor.

Cell:
The power source is a cell. (Note that more than one cell put together is known as a battery)
Circuit symbols

A circuit diagram uses circuit symbols to represent each component in the circuit.
 PG 97

Cells and batteries

Cells
Cells provide the energy for many electrical devices to function - like torches, mobile phones
and laptops. Cells come in different sizes and shapes.

Most cells are cylindrical, including button cells which are often used to power small devices
like watches and thermometers. Most cells cannot be reused after they are empty, although
some can be recharged and used many times.
The most common type of cell is the electrochemical cell which uses chemical reactions to
transfer energy. Batteries
Many people mistakenly use the word battery when they mean cell.
A battery is made of two or more cells connected together.
How to draw a circuit diagram

To draw an accurate circuit diagram, follow these steps:

1. Draw the circuit symbols.

2. Draw all the wires to connect the symbols together. Use a ruler and do not let the
wires cross each other.

Current

When a circuit has been connected correctly, an electrical current flows. Just like a current in
a river is a flow of water, an electrical current in a wire is a flow of electrons. The more
electrons flow through a wire each second, the greater the current.

Unit of Current: Amperes,

S.I. Unit: A
Current is measured using a device called
an ammeter. These can be analog or
digital.

Ammeters are connected into a circuit

using wires, like any other component.

An ammeter is connected in series,

meaning it is connected in a loop with all the other components.

Potential difference

Potential difference is the amount of energy transferred by

each unit of charge passing between two points of a circuit.
Potential difference is also commonly called ‘voltage’.
Unit of current: Volt

S.I. Unit: V

Potential difference is measured using a device called a voltmeter.

The potential difference produced by a cell or battery can be measured by connecting the
leads of the voltmeter to each side of the cell or battery.

Unlike an ammeter, a voltmeter is connected in parallel – meaning it is on its own separate

branch of the circuit.
It cannot be connected in series (in the same loop as the other components).

In this diagram, each cell produces a potential difference of 1.5 V, so a three-cell battery
produces a potential difference of 4.5 V.

DRAWING CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS

PG 94
PG 97

PG 106
 TYPES OF CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS

There are 2 ways a circuit can be connected:

 Series
 Parallel

SERIES CIRCUITS

A circuit is said to be connected in series when the same current flows through all the components
in the circuit. In such circuits, the current has only one path. Let us consider the household
decorative string lights as an example of a series circuit. This is nothing but a series of multiple tiny
bulbs connected in series.

The brightness of a lamp is determined by how much electrical energy is being converted to light
(and heat energy). The brightness is a good indicator of the amount of current passing.

The above shows an experimental set up with different circuits. Some variables have changed and
some remained the same. (The spaces below are to be completed in class)

Which variables remained the same? __________________________________________________

This is the controlled variable.

Which variables were changed? ______________________________________________________

This is the manipulated variable.

What readings can be used as results? ________________________________________________

This is the responding variable.

As more lamps are added to the circuit, the lamps shine less brightly.

If an ammeter is connected, it will show that the current falls as the number of lamps increases.

What do you think might happen if one lamp burns out or is removed?

__________________________________________________________________________________

Single components are often connected in series with a switch

to control them. Eg a torchlight.
PARALLEL CIRCUITS

A circuit is said to be parallel when the electric current has multiple

paths to flow through. When two components are connected in
parallel, there are effectively two circuits with a part that is common
to both components.

The components that are a part of the parallel circuits will have a
constant voltage across all ends. The current flow however, splits
through the branches. The current flowing from the source will be
divided into the current flowing through each of these components.

Adding lamps in parallel does not alter their brightness. 2 lamps

connected in parallel will be brighter than 2 lamps connected in
series. They draw twice as much current from the battery.

Components are connected in parallel so that they can be controlled

independently, eg in a hairdryer, which has a heating component
and a fan. These are wired in parallel so these functions can be
controlled separately.

If one component connected in parallel fails, the other components

will continue to work.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUITS

What are the main differences in series and parallel circuits with respect to voltage and current flow?
 Circuit drawing diagrams- to be done in class

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF 1 CELL, 1 SWITCH AND 3 LAMPS AND AN AMMETER CONNECTED IN SERIES

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF 2 CELLS, 1 SWITCH, 1 LAMP AND A VOLTMETER CONNECTED PARALLEL

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF 3 CELLS, ONE SWITCH AND 2 LAMPS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL

Exercise: Look at the video in the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icGMkFBYrV8

Copy and fill the table below using the video provided. You are only to complete the observations for
homework. The inference/reason column will be done during class time

Table 1: TABLE SHOWING OBSERVATIONS OF DIFFERENT CIRCUITS

Circuit Observation Inference/ Reason

1) Parallel- 3
bulbs, closed
switch

2) Parallel- 3
bulbs, open
switch

3) Parallel – 3
bulbs with 1
blown, closed
switch

4) Series- 3 bulbs,
closed switch

5) Series- 3 bulbs,
(1 blown),
closed switch