Electricity
Katya Heredia, Ally Harris, Zach Johnson, & Keith Goings
circuits
A circuit is a closed loop that electrons can travel in. Every electrical appliance in your home, whether it's battery operated or you plug it in, is a circuit. There can not be a break in a circuit because the electrons need to flow through the circuit in order for it to function.
Electrons
- flow is determined by the battery
- flow is always from negative to positive
- electron loss=object is positively charged
- electron gain=object is negatively charged
- electrons that are bound loosely are conductors (metals and glass)
- electrons that are bound tightly are insulators (plastic, wood, and RUBBER)
- opposite charges attract and negative charges rebel
Bulbs
- are resistors because they resist current flow
- more bulbs=decrease in current and bulb brightness
- contact points (CP's) allow electrical current to flow
- have 2 CP's and each CP must touch another CP of another device
Series Circuits
- single current paths
- current is always the same throughout the circuit and is measured in Amps
- resistance total is all resistors combined
- resistors represent a given amount of resistance in a circuit and DO NOT have to be the same value (bulbs)
- resistance is the hindrance to the flow of the charge measured in Ohms
Our Circuit
- simple circuit
- lever, 2 alligator clips, 1 resistor (bulb), and a battery
Fake scenario using Ohms Law for our circuit:
Zach is using his handy-dandy straightener to straighten Keith's hair for picture day. The straightener draws a current of 2.26 Amps on a 5.87 V outlet, how much resistance would the straightener draw?
(A) vs (V)
Graph showing the straighteners draw of current and the voltage of the outlet.
One-Bulb Circuit
- bulb (resistor)
- battery
- alligator clips
- lever
Current (A)
Graph representing the current of our one-bulb circuit.