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ALL MATTER IS COMPOSED OF VERY SMALL PARTICLES CALLED ATOMS.
THE LAW OF ELECTRIC CHARGES STAES THAT LIKE CHARGES REPEL AND
OPPOSITE CHARGES ATTRACT.
AN ELECTRIC FIELD IS A REGION AROUND A CHARGED PARTICLE THAT CAN EXERT A FORCE ON
ANOTHER CHARGED PARTICLE.
ATOMS CONTAIN AN EQUAL NUMBER OF PROTONS AND ELECTRONS. THEREFROE, THE POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE CHARGES CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT, AND THE ATOM HAS NO OVERALL CHARGE.
WHEN YOU CHARGE OBJECTS BY ANY METHOD, NO CHARGES ARE CREATED OR DESTROYED.
ELECTRONS SIMPLY MOVE FROM ONE ATOM TO ANOTHER.
TO DETERMINE IF AN OBJECT HAS A CHARGE, YOU CAN USE A DEVICE CALLED AN ELECTROSCOPE.
WE CAN TRANFER NEGATIVE CHARGES BUT WE ARE UNABLE TO TRANSFER POSITIVE CHARGES.
ELECTRONS FROM A NEGATIVELY CHARGED PLASTIC RULER MOVE TO THE ELECTROSCOPE AND
TRAVEL DOWN THE ROD. THE METAL LEAVES BECOME NEGATIVELY CHARGED AND SPREAD APART.
A POSITIVELY CHARGED GLASS ROD ATTRACTS THE ELECTRONS IN THE METAL ROD, CAUSING THE
ELECTRONS TO TRAVEL UP THE ROD. THE METAL LEAVES BECOME POSITIVELY CHARGED AND
SPREAD APART.
A CONDUCTOR IS A MATERIAL IN WHICH CHARGES CAN MOVE EASILY. COPPER, SILVER, ALUMINUM,
AND MERCURY ARE GOOD CONDUCTORS.
WHEN SOMETHING IS STATIC, IT IS NOT MOVING. THE CHARGES THAT CREATE STATIC ELECTRICITY
DO NOT MOVE AWAY FROM THE OBJECT THEY ARE STUCK TO.
THE LOSS OF STATIC ELECTRICITY AS CHARGES MOVE OFF AN OBJECT IS CALLED ELECTRIC
DISCHARGE. SOMETIMES ELECTRIC DISCHARGE OCCURS SLOWLY. FOR EXAMPLE, CLOTHES STUCK
TOGETHER BY STATIC ELECTRICITY WILL EVENTUALLY SEPARATE ON THEIR OWN BECAUSE THEIR
ELECTRIC CHARGES ARE TRANSFERRED TO WATER MOLECULES IN THE AIR OVER TIME.
THE NEGATIVE CHARGE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CLOUD INDUCES A POSITIVE CHARGE ON THE
GROUND. THE LARGE CHARGE DIFFERENCE CAUSES A RAPID ELECTRIC DISCHARGE - CALLED
LIGHTNING.
BECAUSE DIFFERENT PARTS OF CLOUDS HAVE DIFFERENT CHARGES, LIGHTNING CAN ALSO
OCCUR WITHIN AND BETWEEN CLOUDS.
A LIGHTNING ROD IS A POINTED ROD CONNECTED TO THE GROUND BY WIRE. LIGHTNING USUALLY
STRIKES THE HIGHEST POINT IN A CHARGED AREA BECAUSE THAT POINT PROVIDES THE EASIEST
PATH FOR THE CHARGES TO REACH THE GROUND.
ANY OBJECT THAT IS GROUNDED PROVIDES A PATH FOR ELECTRIC CHARGES TO TRAVEL TO THE
EARTH.
EVERY CELL CONTAINS A MIXTURE OF CHEMICALS THAT CONDUCTS A CURRENT; THE MIXTURE IS
CALLED AN ELECTROLYTE.
THE ENERGY PER UNIT CHARGE IS CALLED THE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE AND IS EXPRESSED IN
VOLTS (V).
THE GREATER THE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE IS, THE GREATER THE CURRENT.
THE CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY TO ELCTRICAL ENERGY IN BATTERIES IS NOT THE ONLY
WAY ELECTRICAL ENERGY CAN BE GENERATED.
TWO OTHER DEVICES THAT PRODUCE ELECTRICAL ENERGY ARE PHOTOCELLS AND
THERMOCOUPLES.
A PHOTOCELL IS THE PART OF A SOLAR PANEL THAT CONVERTS LIGHT INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY.
PHOTOCELLS CONTAIN SILICON ATOMS. WHEN LIGHT STRIKES THE PHOTOCELL, ELECTRONS ARE
EJECTED FROM THE SILICON ATOMS. THE EJECTED ELECTRONS ARE GATHERED INTO A WIRE TO
CREATE AN ELECTRIC CURRENT.
INDIVIDUAL ELECTRONS MOVE QUITE SLOWLY. IN FACT, IT MAY TAKE A SINGLE ELECTRON OVER AN
HOUR TO TRAVEL 1 METER THROUGH A WIRE.
THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ELECTRIC CURRENT - DIRECT CURRENT (DC) AND
ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC).
IN DIRECT CURRENT CURRENT THE CHARGES ALWAYS FLOW IN THE SAME DIRECTION. CHARGES
ALWAYS FLOW FROM THE NEGATIVE POST OF A BATTERY TO THE POSITIVE POST.
VOLTAGE IS THE DIFFERENCE IN ENERGY PER UNIT CHARGE AS A CHARGE MOVES BETWEEN TWO
POINTS IN THE PATH OF A CURRENT.
THICK WIRES HAVE LESS RESISTANCE THAN THIN WIRES AND LONG WIRES HAVE MORE
RESISTANCE THAN SHORT WIRES.
AMPERES = VOLTS/OHMS
A = V/R
A CIRCUIT ALWAYS BEGINS AND ENDS IN THE SAME PLACE, FORMING A LOOP. BECAUSE A CIRCUIT
FORMS A LOOP, IT IS SAID TO BE A CLOSED PATH
AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT IS COMPLETE, CLOSED PATH THROUGH WHICH ELECTRIC CHARGES FLOW.
A SERIES CIRCUIT IS A CIRCUIT IN WHICH ALL PARTS ARE CONNECTED IN A SINGLE LOOP.
THE CHARGES TRAVELING THROUGH A SERIES CIRCUIT MUST FLOW THROUGH EACH PART AND
CAN ONLY FOLLOW ONE PATH.
IF YOU ADD MORE LIGHT BULBS, THE RESISTANCE OF THE ENIRE CIRCUIT WOULD INCREASE AND
THE CURRENT WOULD DECREASE. THEREFORE, ALL THE BULBS WOULD BE DIMMER.
IF ONE LOAD IS BROKEN OR MISSING, THE OTHER LOADS WILL NOT WORK.
BECAUSE THERE ARE SEPARATE BRANCHES, THE CHARGES TRAVEL THROUGH MORE THAN ONE
PATH.
THE LOADS IN A PARALLEL CIRCUIT DO NOT HAVE THE SAME CURRENT IN THEM.
AS A RESULT, EACH LIGHT BULB GLOWS AT FULL BRIGHTNESS, NO MATTER HOW MANY BULBS ARE
CONNECTED IN PARALLEL.
IF ONE LOAD IS BROKEN OR MISSING, CHARGES WILL STILL RUN THROUGH THE OTHER BRANCHES,
AND THE LOADS ON THOSE BRANCHES WILL CONTINUE TO WORK.
IF BULBS ARE CONNECTED IN SERIES TO MAKE A SERIES CIRCUIT, THE CURRENT MUST PASS
THROUGH ALL OF THEM IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT.
1. CONNECTING BULBS IN SERIES IS ADVANTAGEOUS IF EACH BULB DOES NOT NEED A HIGH
VOLTAGE, BECAUSE EACH BULB OPERATES ON LESS THAN THE TOTAL VOLTAGE IN THE CIRCUIT.
2. THE DISADVANTAGE OF CONNECTING BULBS IN SERIES IS THAT IF ONE BULB BURNS OUT, THE
CIRCUIT IS BROKEN AND THE REST GO OUT AS WELL.
IF LIGHT BULBS ARE CONNECTED IN PARALLEL, EACH LIGHT BULB IS INDEPENDENT OF THE
OTHERS.
1. THE ADVANTGAGE OF BULBS IN PARALLEL IS ONLY THE BULB THAT BURNS OUT GOES OUT.
2. THE DISADVANTAGE OF CONNECTING BULBS IN PARALLEL IS THAT MORE CURRENT IS DRAWN
FROM THE SOURCE TO LIGHT THE BULBS.
A FUSE CONTAINS A THIN STRIP OF METAL THROUGH WHICH THE CHARGES FOR A CIRCUIT FLOW.
IF THE CURRENT IN THE CIRCUIT IS TOO HIGH, THE METAL IN THE FUSE WARMS UP AND MELTS.
A CIRCUIT BREAKER IS A SWITCH THAT AUTOMATICALLY OPENS IF THE CURRENT IN THE CIRCUIT IS
TOO HIGH.
IF THE CURRENT IN A CIRCUIT IS TOO HIGH, A STRIP OF METAL IN THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WARMS
UP AND BENDS AWAY FROM THE WIRES IN THE CIRCUIT.
A DEVICE THAT ACTS LIKE A MINIATURE CIRCUIT BREAKER IS A GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT
INTERRUPTER (GFCI).
A GFCI PROVIDES PROTECTION BY COMPARING THE CURRENT IN ONE SIDE OF AN OUTLET WITH
THE CURRENT IN THE OTHER SIDE.
IF THERE IS EVEN A SMALL DIFFERENCE, THE GFCI OPENS THE CIRCUIT. TO CLOSE THE CIRCUIT,
YOU MUST PUSH THE RESET BUTTON.