Electricity

Prepared by: Mariwen C. Alemios

Electricity
➢comes from the
Greek word
“elektron”
➢A form of energy
from the
movement or
flow of electrons
 Where does electricity come from?
Mainly 2 sources:
1. Power Stations
• Supply a lot of electricity
• Used in many electrical appliances

2. Electric Cells (batteries)

• Supply a little electricity
• Portable
• Safe
 How does an electrical appliance work?
➢To make an electrical appliance work, electricity
must flow through it.
➢The flow of electricity is called an electric
current.
➢The path along which the
electric current moves is
called the electric circuit.
 How does electricity flow?
The battery in a circuit
gives energy to the
electrons and pushes them
around a circuit, from the
negative terminal of the
cell, round the circuit and
back to the positive
terminal of the cell.
 Insulators and Conductors

Some materials allow charges to be transferred

(conductor) while others do not (insulator).
 Insulators and Conductors

Conductors : Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Lead

Insulators : Plastics, Glass, Dry Air, Wood
 Electric Current
➢An electric current is the rate of flow of electric charges in a circuit.
Electric Current
 Electric Current
•Electric current is
the flow of charges
e- e- e-
•The electric charge
e-
e- e- e- e- in a current is
carried by minute
particles called
electrons.
Current
•The measure of
how many
electrons per
second
•Also called
amperage.
•Measured in
amperes.
Current
 Current

DC is an electrical current that flows in only one

direction and has a fairly constant average value.
 Current

AC is an electric current that regularly reverses

direction.
 Measuring Current
➢ Current can be measured
by using ammeter.
 Voltage

• the push that causes electrons to flow.

• also known as electrical pressure.
• it is measure of how much energy the
electrons receive.
• Measured in Volts (V).
 Voltage
➢ Different voltages are supplied by different
cells and batteries.

1.5VDry Cell

12 V Car Battery 9 VDry Cell

 Voltmeter
➢ Measures voltage
 Resistance
• The tendency for a material to oppose the flow
of electrons.
• The unit of resistance is ohm (Ω).
Which material has higher resistance?

Thin wires provide more resistance than do

thick wires
Different materials have different amounts of resistance to the
flow of electrons.

• Resistance of a material increases with

increase in length and decreases with
increase in thickness.
Which material has higher resistance?

Insulators have high resistance.

Which material has higher resistance?

➢Good conductors of electricity have LOW

RESISTANCE. (Eg. Metal objects)
- Electricity is able to flow through them
very easily
Which material has higher resistance?
➢Poor conductors of electricity have HIGH
RESISTANCE. (Eg. Wood, cloth)
- Electricity is not able to flow through
them very easily
 Resistors

• Resistors are circuit

components which control
the size of the electric
current flowing in a circuit.

• Resistors are components

designed to introduce a
particular resistance into
a circuit.
 Ohm’s Law

Ohm’s law states that the voltage across

a conductor is directly proportional to
the current flowing through it, provided
all physical conditions and temperature,
remain constant.
 Example 1

An electric rice cooker operates at 240 V and uses a

current of 8 A. What is the resistance of the rice
cooker?
240
V R=
R= 8
I = 30 
 Example 2

A 3 V potential difference is applied across a 6Ω

resistor. What is the current that flows into the
resistor?
3V
V I=
I= 6Ω
R = 0.5 A
 Example 3

If the resistance of an electric iron is 50 Ω and a

current of 3.2 A flows through the resistance. Find
the voltage between two points.
V = 50 Ω x 3.2 A
V=RxI V = 160 V
 Electricity
➢Electricity is a flow of electric
charges along a wire.
Electric Current

For electricity
to flow, you
need a closed
continuous
path, called a
circuit.
 Electrical Circuit
➢A circuit is an electrical device that
provides a path for electricity to
flow
 Circuits

cell wires

switch lamp

To make the circuit, these components are

connected together with metal connecting
wires.
 Components of a Circuit
Wires Wire of a circuit are metal wires which are conductors. Wires
will have many electrons that are free to move.

Lamp Lamp is the device which converts electrical energy into light
energy. Metal filament in the lamp also have free electrons.

Switch allows a circuit to be open or closed. When you

Switch close the switch the lamp goes out. When you open the
switch electrons will flow and the lamp will glow.

Cell is a device which converts chemical energy into electrical

Cell energy. The chemical reactions inside the cell makes the electrons
leave the cell at the negative terminal when the circuit is
completed.
 Circuits
Cell lamp switch wire

Scientists usually draw electric circuits using symbols.

 Types of Circuits

Series Parallel
Series Circuits
• The components are
connected end-to-end,
one after the other.
• They make a simple loop
for the current to flow
round.
• If one bulb ‘blows’ it
breaks the whole circuit
and all the bulbs go out.
 Applications of Series Circuits

Christmas Lights and Flashlights

Series
 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Series Circuit
Pros
• Series circuits don’t overheat easily. Dry and flammable objects are less
likely to catch on fire if placed near a series circuit.
• Series circuits are very easy to understand and make.
• Adding cells to the circuit will result in greater voltage.
Cons
• Components of a series circuit are connected to each other. If one breaks
or malfunctions, the others won’t turn on. The classic example is
Christmas lights.
• The more components there are in a series circuit, the more resistance
there will be.
Parallel Circuits
• The components are
connected side by side.
• The current has a choice
of routes.
• If one bulb ‘blows’ there
is still be a complete
circuit to the other bulb
so it stays alight.
 Applications of Parallel Circuits
1. Light bulbs at home
2. Appliances at home
3. Motorcycle headlights
 Advantages of a Parallel Circuit
1. If one component fails, the others won't be affected.

2. All components in the circuit have the same voltage as

the source.

3. Simple, safe and reliable. Loads are easy to control.

4. It allow components to be added in the circuit without

changing the voltage
Parallel
Which of the following is a series circuit?
Which is a parallel circuit?
Types of Circuits
 Lamps in a Series

Normal brightness Less brightness

In series circuit, the voltage is divided between the lamps.

The current flow will be same but the voltage across each
lamp decreases when two lamps connect in series.
 Lamps in a Parallel

In parallel circuit, the current divides to both the lamps.

Voltage will remain same across all the apparatus
connected in parallel
 Series vs. Parallel
Series circuit Parallel circuit
Components connected along a Components connected side by
single path. side.
Same current Current divides

Different voltage Same voltage

Cannot switch off /On separately. Can switch off /On separately

Resistance of the components Resistance of the components

add do not add
 Short Circuit vs Overloading
An unusually large current can occur in two ways:

Short circuit Over loading

An unusually large current An unusually large current
occur when the insulation occur if too many appliances
in a cable is worn and the are plugged into one socket.
wires in the cable touch
each other. Circuit breaker is an electrical
device shuts down when there is
overloading in the circuit.
Short Circuit
Overload
 Fuse

➢The heat energy developed in a circuit increases

with the increase in the current flowing through it.

➢Fuse is a device containing a wire that melts when

the current flowing through it reaches a certain
value. When the wire melts, it breaks and so also
breaks the circuit and stop the current flowing.
 Fuse is a safety device
➢Electrical appliances are designed to work in a
particular current, if the current too large the
appliances may be damaged. Fuses are used in
order to protect appliances from the large current.
 Circuit Breakers
A circuit breaker is an automatic switch that
opens the circuit in case of overload or short
circuits.

Its basic function is to

interrupt current flow
after a fault is detected
caused by excess
current from an
overload or
short circuit.
Safety Devices
 Earthing
Earthing is used to protect you from an electric
shock. It does this by providing a path (a protective
conductor) for a fault current to flow to earth.
It also causes the
protective device
(either a circuit-
breaker or fuse) to
switch off the
electric current to
the circuit that has
the fault.
 Double Insulation
Double insulation protects the user of the appliance
from an electrical shock by preventing any possibility of
the external casing becoming live thus eliminating the
need for an earth connection. The two layers of
insulation are:

▪ First insulation: Insulating

electrical cable from the internal
component of the appliance.
▪ Second insulation: Insulating
internal metal part which could
become live from the external
casing.
End of Lesson