Electricity
Success Criteria
● Define electricity.
● Identify current as a flow of negative electrons.
● Construct circuit diagrams.
● Outline the differences between series and parallel circuits.
● Identify the units for current (amps), resistance (ohms) and voltage (volts).
● Identify that a voltmeter connected in parallel is used to measure voltage and an
ammeter connected in series is used to measure current.
ELECTRICITY
● Electricity = the flow of electrons.
CIRCUITS
What is a circuit?
● An electric circuit is a closed loop that provides a path for the transfer of electrical
energy from a power source (battery/power point) to an electrical component (e.g.
light bulb).
● That component then converts the electrical energy into other forms of energy such
as light, heat, sound or kinetic energy.
The FOUR basic parts of a simple circuit are:
1. an energy source, such as a battery.
2. a conducting path (wires) for the electricity to flow through.
3. an energy user or load, such as a light globe, motor, buzzer, heating element or
resistor.
4. a switch to turn the current on and off.
CONSTRUCTING CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS
Part of Circuit Symbol
Battery/Power Pack
Light globe
Switch
Resistor
Ammeter
Voltmeter
CURRENT
What is an electric current?
● Electric current is the flow of electrons.
● These electrons and the current they form carry energy around
the circuit from the battery or power point to the different
components that use it.
How is electric current measured?
● Current (which is the flow of electrons) goes from (-) to (+)
● An ammeter is connected IN SERIES to measure the current in a
circuit – by measuring the amount of charge that flows through it
every second.
● Current is measured in amps (A).
VOLTAGE
What is voltage?
● Depending on what part of the circuit we are
talking about, voltage is a measure of how much
energy:
○ is available from the battery or power pack
to push current through the circuit. It may
be thought of as the size of the ‘push’.
○ is used when current passes through a
load.
● The greater the voltage, the greater its ability to
“push” electrons through a given circuit. So higher
voltage causes more electricity to flow.
How is voltage measured?
● A voltmeter connected IN PARALLEL is used to
measure voltage.
● Voltage is measured in Volts (V).
RESISTANCE
Resistance is a measure of how much a load (e.g. light globe, motor, resistor) restricts and
reduces the flow of current.
Resistance affects the current flowing through a circuit. As resistance increases, fewer
electrons pass through every second which reduces the current.
● HIGH resistance means it is difficult for electrons to pass through the material.
● LOW resistance means it is easy for electrons to pass through the material.
How is resistance measured?
Resistance is measured in ohms (Ω) using a multimeter.
The resistance of a wire depends on the:
○ Type of material
Metals have low resistance whereas rubber has very high resistance.
○ Length of wire
Doubling the wire length doubles the obstacles electrons need to pass
through which doubles the resistance.
○ Thickness of wire
It is more difficult for electrons to pass along thin wires than thick.
TYPES OF CIRCUITS
● There are two basic types of circuits: SERIES and PARALLEL.
Series Circuit Parallel Circuits
- If you arrange two globes one after - If you arrange the globes next to
the other in a line with the battery, each other but on separate
the globes are said to be in series. branches you have built a parallel
circuit.
- The voltage supplied is split - The voltage used by each globe is
between the two globes, but the the same, but the current is split
current passing through each is the between each branch.
same.
CURRENT STAYS THE SAME CURRENT DECREASES
- The two globes glow more dimly - Each globe glows with EQUAL
than a circuit with only one globe. brightness.
VOLTAGE DECREASES VOLTAGE STAYS THE SAME
- If a globe in this circuit is removed - If a globe in this circuit is removed
or ‘blows’, the circuit is broken, so or blows, the other globe will
the other globe will not work either. remain lit. This is because there is
current still flowing in the other part
of the circuit.
Questions
1. What is electricity?
Electricity is the _____________ of electrons.
2. What charge do electrons have? What direction do they move in a circuit?
Electrons have a ___________ charge and flow from a power source (battery) to an
e_____________ component (light bulb)
3. What is a circuit?
4. What parts make up a circuit?
5. Match the following terms with its correct description.
Current Voltage Resistance
Measures how difficult it is for charges to pass through a
material.
Measures the flow of charge passing through the circuit.
Measures the energy provided to or used by electrons.
6. List THREE factors that can influence resistance.
7. Recall the units and unit symbols by completing the table.
Quantity Unit Unit Symbol
Current
Voltage
Resistance
8. Outline the key differences between SERIES and PARALLEL circuits.
Draw an example of each.