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Copy of Electricity

The document provides an overview of electricity, including the definitions and properties of conductors and insulators, the types of electric circuits, and the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance as described by Ohm's law. It also explains the function of plugs and fuses in electrical systems, as well as how to calculate electrical energy consumption and read electricity meters. Key terms related to electricity are defined in a glossary at the end.

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11 views15 pages

Copy of Electricity

The document provides an overview of electricity, including the definitions and properties of conductors and insulators, the types of electric circuits, and the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance as described by Ohm's law. It also explains the function of plugs and fuses in electrical systems, as well as how to calculate electrical energy consumption and read electricity meters. Key terms related to electricity are defined in a glossary at the end.

Uploaded by

pennicott
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Electricity

Electricity
Objectives
● Discuss the use of good and poor conductors of electricity
● Explain the relationship between voltage, current and resistance in circuits
● Explain how a fuse works as a safety device;
What are conductors?
A conductor is any object or material that allows electric current to flow through
them easily. Some examples of good conductors are: Iron, Copper, Brass, steel
e.t.c.
In some cases where there are materials that allows electric current to partially
flow through them, these are usually non-metals e.g Carbon
An insulator is any material that block or prevent the flow of electric current:
rubber, plastic or dry wood
Why are metals good conductors of electric current?

The bonding structure of metals is what allows them to be good


conductors of electric current, this is as a result of metal containing
free electrons that are not bound to a particular nucleus so they can
move easily through the metal as an electric current.
Copper is one of the most common conductivity metal used in
electrical wiring, since it is a good conductor of electricity and it is
relatively cheap.
Electric Circuit
An electric Circuit is the
conductivity pathway for the flow
of electric current. An electric
Circuit consist of, a source of
electricity such as a (cell or
battery), connecting wires and an
appliance that uses the energy
from the electrons to do work. In
other words, the battery supplies
energy, the wires allows for
conductivity between the battery
and the appliance.
Types of electric circuit

● Series Circuit

● Parallel Circuit

● Open Circuit

● Close Circuit

● Short Circuit
Parallel Circuit & Series Circuit
An electric circuit has two ways in which it can be connected, there may be one or
more than two components are connected to together. The two main types of
electric circuit are:
● Series Circuit- In a series circuit, there is only one path in which current can
follow so the current is the same in each part of the circuit. This means that
the components of the circuit are connected from one end to the next thereby
creating a single pathway in which electric current can flow.
● Parallel Circuit- A parallel circuit is an electric circuit that has more than one
path that the current can take to move around the circuit. This means that two
sets of electrical points are formed creating separate branches that have
different currents.
Relationship between Current,Voltage & Resistance in
Circuits
To understand the relationship between current, voltage & resistance, the
Ohm’s law states that the current in a conductor maintained at a constant
temperature is proportional to the potential difference (voltage) between
ends. Voltage is the energy changes in a electrical circuit cause by a
battery or cell (electrical source) otherwise known as the potential
difference. This electrical energy can be measured using a voltmeter
and the unit of voltage is volt V. The source gives electrical energy give
to each electron moving in a circuit, this energy is known as the
electromotive force or emf.
Relationship between Current,Voltage & Resistance in
Circuits cont’d
Resistance is the measure of the opposition to current flow in an electrical
circuit, the larger the resistance of a component the more the more energy is
transferred from electrical to other forms when charge passes through it.
Resistance is measured by the unit ohm and is represented by the greek symbol
for omega Ω.
To apply Ohm’s law to show the relationship between Voltage, Resistance &
Current the formula V= IR was derived.
V- Voltage
I- current
R- Resistance
Relationship between Current,Voltage & Resistance in
Circuits cont’d
Calculate the voltage if the resistance is 5Ω and the current is 2A

V=IR

V= 2 x 5

V= 10V

Practice Question: What is the resistance of resistor if there is a voltage of


15V and the current through it is 5A?
Plugs and Fuses
An appliance will use the electrical energy produced in a circuit is used as Power,
therefore Power is the rate by which electrical energy is transferred to other forms
of energy. The unit for Power is watt and it is represented by the symbol W, power
is calculated using the formula W=IV.

A Plug is used to connect electrical appliances in the home to the power supply in
the building or site. The main supply uses a cable also called flex and a three pin
plug, the three-pin plug is made of brass and each pin is connected to a different
wire called the live, neutral and earth wires. The live wire is coloured brown, the
neutral wire is coloured blue and the earth wire is coloured green and yellow.
Plugs and Fuses cont’d
A Fuse is a safety wire, often referred to as a live wire that breaks the circuit if a
fault in an appliance causes too much current to flow. In other words a Fuse is
design to melt if a Current larger than a particular value passes through it.
Since most appliances has different working current or some may require more
power than others it is important to be able to calculate the the size of a Fuse.
This can be done using the formula I=W/V,
I- Working current of the appliance
W- The power of the appliance
V- voltage of the main supply
Electricity Bills
Electricity is provided to our homes by an electricity company, where you are
provided with an electricity meter that records the energy consumption in the form
of kilowatt per hour. An analogue meter has five dials with the number 0 to 9 on
them. To read this analogue meter, start reading from the dial furthest to the left,
WHERE THE POINTER IS EXACTLY LINED UP WITH OR JUST PASSED.

Calculating electrical energy- As was previously stated the energy consumption is


measured using the unit Kilowatts-hour (kWh). The formula to calculate the energy
transferred by an appliance is: Energy transferred (kWh)= power (kilowatts) x time
(hours).
Glossary
● Ammeter - Is used to measure size of current in a circuit
● Conductors- is any object or material that allows electric current to flow
through them easily.
● Electrical Circuit- A path that allows for the movement of charged particles.
● Electrical Current- A flow of charged particles
● Electromotive force (emf)- The electrical energy that is use to move each
electron in a circuit.
● Fuse- safety wire that breaks the circuit if a fault in an appliance causes too
much current to flow.
● Resistance- measure of the opposition to current flow in an electrical circuit
● Voltage- The potential difference or the electrical energy difference in a
circuit
References
● www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zshyj6f/revision/3
● Integrated Science for CSEC 2nd Edition - Nelson Thornes
● https://www.fluke.com
●

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