NGSS

GRADE NINE (9)

INTEGRATED SCIENCE
AUGUST TERM
TEACHER: MISS HARRYLALL
TOPIC: ELECTRICITY
Electricity

What is ELECTRICITY?
Just as a reminder, electricity is the ordered flow of electrons. This is important to
remember because some materials have free (floating) electrons in them, but the
do not cause any electrical shock; this is because the electrons do not move in an
ordered manner. Electricity is also called Current.

Figure 1.0 Electrons moving freely Figure 2.0 Electrons moving in an

orderly fashion

What causes electrons to flow in an orderly fashion is voltage. We can think of

voltage as something that makes electrons to move in a specific way i.e. it is no
longer free and random but has been given a direction. Voltage like the pressure
in a hose that causes water (electrons) to flow. What we know as voltage is also
called potential, and the potential at 2 different points is known as the potential
difference (P.D.).

When the electrons begin to flow in the wire however, there is an opposition to
the ordered flow of these electrons. This is known as Resistance. Thus, while we
have current and voltage, we will also have resistance. Resistance is found within
anything that electricity flows through, meaning that even wires in our homes
have resistance in them.

Electricity/Current, voltage and resistance are always together and share a

relationship.

It is important here to note that every simple electrical circuit has these 3
properties apart of them; without these 3 properties, there will be no electricity in
the circuit whatsoever.

Summary
 1. Electricity (current) – is the orderly flow of electrons
2. Voltage – is Potential difference between 2 points.
3. Resistance – is the opposition to the ordered flow of electrons.

Figure 3.0 showing how current, voltage and resistance interacts.

CURRENT, VOLTAGE AND RESISTANCE IN A CIRCUIT

When we talk about electricity, voltage and resistance in a circuit, they are
represented by certain symbols. They also have specific units for their
measurements.

CURRENT
It is measured in AMPERES but is also
called simple AMPS
The Symbol is A.
Example: 10A, 5A

VOLTAGE
It is measured in VOLTS.
The Symbol is V
Example: 120v, 240v, 15v

RESISTANCE
It is measured in OHMS.
The Symbol is Ω
Example: 1 Ω, 200 Ω, 150 Ω

ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
There are some different circuits we can look at to help us understand how
electricity, current and resistance interact with each other. For now, we will focus
on current and voltage; resistance will be discussed once we understand circuits
better.
To start, let us look at a basic circuit that many of you may recognize.

Figure 3.0 Simple circuit

As the above diagram shows, we have the BATTERY that creates a potential
difference (voltage), which causes electricity to flow and the bulb to light. What
we should note here is that for any electricity to flow within a circuit, there
must be a complete and unbroken path (i.e. the path must be “closed”).
A switch is commonly used to open or close a circuit but is not always
necessary. It is very annoying to draw these diagrams on paper or in our books.
To simplify this, we use CIRCUIT SYMBOLS to represent circuits.

Figure 4.0 Schematic circuit

The Above diagram shows the same circuit as before but represented in its
simplified schematic form. The components are now represented by circuit
symbols. From this point onward, we will make circuits with the circuit symbols
as it is easier. The following are some additional circuit symbols that we will use
for this topic.
 Figure 5.0 Basic Symbols
We will introduce more symbols later as we go on. You may notice we have a
circuit symbol called RESISTOR. This is a component we will discuss more of
later but for now, it is a component in a circuit that can be added to create more
resistance in the circuit. It is sometimes also used to represent the natural
resistance of the circuit.

TYPES OF ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS

For this class, there are 2 main types of electrical circuits that we will examine.
These are as follows:
❖ Series Circuit
❖ Parallel Circuit
For each of these circuits, there is a different configuration of each of their parts.
This is important because depending on the configuration, how current and
voltage is distributed is different which will be necessary to know when doing
calculations.
Seeing the circuits would give you a better idea than reading it, so the following
introduces the circuits visually.

Series Circuit
 Bulb
B1 Bulb
B2

As we can see, Bulb B1 and Bulb B2 are connected to

each other; this is the main arrangement of components in
a series circuit. Thus, simply seen, in a series circuit, there is a single
path for current to flow through everything. What we will notice here is that if
any part of the wire breaks, none of the bulbs will work because there is only one
path for electricity to flow. (recall earlier where we said a circuit requires a
complete path for electricity to flow. If the wire breaks, the path is open)

Parallel circuit

Bulb
B1

Bulb
B2

In this configuration, we see that Bulb 1 and Bulb 2 are in 2 separate

parts from each other. Thus, we can see that there are multiple paths that the
current can take to complete the circuit.
Imagine that the wire connected to Bulb B1 is broken, what happens to B2? B2
will continue to light, as we would still have a complete path. Similarly, if B2
wire is broken, then B1 will still light. We can then say that for a parallel circuit,
there are multiple paths for current to flow.
NOTE: In your home, there are usually several parallel circuits. This is why even
though a bulb or wire is damaged, other things in the home can still function.
Before we can continue, we must look at how to measure electrical quantities
with different instruments in order to determine VOLTAGE and CURRENT
(later we will also see how to find RESISTANCE).

IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS

Now that we understand current, voltage and resistance, let us examine these
electrical properties further. For this first part, we will focus on measuring the
CURRENT and VOLTAGE of a circuit.

Why is it important to measure electrical properties?

Electrical measurements are very important. The voltage and electric current
must not be too large or too small for a particular conductor or machine to work
correctly.: For example, too little current may fail to light a lamp or turn a motor,
but too much current could burn out the filament of the
lamp or burn a motor.

Meters are devices that indicate the exact voltage or current for a particular
circuit or appliance.
Meters can also be used to find faults in electrical or electronic circuits. The
instrument panel of a car has a meter to show when the battery is being charged.
Electricity boards use meters to measure how much electrical energy has been
supplied. Can you think of some other cases or situations where electricity
meters are used?

To measure Voltage, we use a Voltmeter and to measure current, we use an

Ammeter. The circuit symbols are as follows.
These measuring instruments must be placed in the circuit in different ways in
order to give the correct measurements. We will discover this as we continue.
Using the voltmeter

The voltmeter is an electrical instrument used to measure the potential

difference (p.d) or voltage between two points in an electric circuit. The unit of
potential difference or voltage is the volt (symbol V). Since a voltmeter measures
the potential difference across an appliance in a circuit, it is always connected in
parallel. Therefore, to find the voltage across a component such as a lamp (See
following figure) the positive of the voltmeter is connected to the positive end
(A) of the source and the negative of the voltmeter to the negative end (B).

+ -

+ -

Using the ammeter

The ammeter is an instrument used to measure electric current in a circuit. The
unit in which electric current is measured is called the ampere (symbol A). The
ammeter is always connected in
Series. The following figure shows an ammeter connected in a circuit consisting
of two cells, a switch and a lamp. Also note that the positive end of the ammeter
must be connected to the positive side of the source while the negative end of the
ammeter must be connected to the negative end of the source.
N.B. Voltmeters must always be connected
in parallel and ammeters in series. Both ammeters
and voltmeters must be connected according
to the correct polarity marked on them (i.e + and
- poles). Wrong connection may damage the
instruments. It is also important to use meters of
the correct rating for a particular circuit.

How can you find the current and voltage?

THE following figure shows a simple circuit consisting of three cells, a switch
and a lamp. Current is flowing through the circuit and also there is a potential
difference across the lamp. How can we find the current through the lamp and
potential difference across it? Of course, we have to use two meters — the
ammeter to measure the current and voltmeter to measure the potential
difference.

Using Voltmeter and Ammeter in Series and Parallel Circuit

Series circuit

Now that we understand the meters and how to connect them, let us look at
using the meters to find the voltage and current in the circuit.

Io
I1

I2

The series circuit shown in the above figure consists of 2 cells (Battery made up
of 2 cells), 3 ammeters and 2 lamps in series. All the ammeters show the same
reading.
The current is therefore the same in all parts of the series circuit. The same
current flows
through each cell. Therefore, you can put an ammeter anywhere in such a series
circuit to
measure the current. This means that currents Io, I1 and I2 are the same

Io = I1 = I2

Consider the above circuit. The voltmeters are measuring the voltages or
potential difference in a series circuit. Note that the voltmeters are connected in
parallel with the lamps. Voltmeter Vo shows the voltage across the lamps,
voltmeter Vi shows the voltage across the lamp L1, and voltmeter V2 shows the
voltage across lampL2. What do you notice about the voltage shown
on the three voltmeters? The voltage on voltmeter Vo is equal to the voltage on
voltmeter V1 plus the voltage on voltmeter V2. Therefore, in symbols,
 Vo = V1 + V2

The voltage supplied by the battery is shared between the two lamps. For any
series circuit the total voltage across is equal to the sum of the individual
voltages.

Parallel Circuit
In a parallel circuit there is more than one path for the current. The following
figure shows a simple branched or parallel circuit with two lamps, L1, and L2.
When the switch is closed both lamps come on. Current flows from A to X. It
then splits up; some of it flows through lamp L1 and the remainder flows
through lamp L2. If you take out one of the lamps the other stays on. This is
possible because if L2 is removed, the current still has a closed path X - L1 -Y in
which to flow. If one lamp breaks, the other is not affected. Therefore, most
lighting circuits are connected in parallel and not in series.

X Y

This is why when we add the Ammeters in the circuit, we have the current as

Io = I1 + I2

The voltage seen in a parallel circuit is something that should be noted. This is
because that while there are different paths, all individual paths within the
circuit will have the same voltage. This means that connecting the voltmeters as
follows will give us the same equal voltage. This also means all the components
have the same voltage across them as the battery
 Vo = V1 + V2

The Relationship between Current, Voltage and Resistance (V = IR)

We have already discussed what the 3 main electric quantities are (please re-read
the section of them before continuing with this one) and we stated that they have
a relationship, however, we did not say what this relationship was. The relation
can be shown mathematically by saying

V=IxR

But what exactly is this saying? Recall that we said that everything has an
electrical resistance. Even if it is a good electrical conductor is used (e.g. copper
wire) there is still some resistance within it. The above formula says that any
voltage or potential difference within the circuit is a product of the current and
the resistance.
That is, changing any one of these quantities will affect the other 2.
This is why, if we have a circuit as the one below, and we continue to add more
bulbs to it, the light gets a bit dimmer; because the resistance has changed and
there is less voltage being dropped across it

Bright light Dimmer light because another

bulb added

If this isn’t clear, we will look at some examples later to make things clearer.
For now, let us introduce the idea of RESISTORS AND RHEOSTATS.
Resistors are components that work to add resistance to a circuit. Why would
you want to add resistance to a circuit? There are several reasons, but one of the
main ones is that some components are only rated for a specific voltage or
current and a resistor can help change the amount delivered to the component so
that it is not damaged.

A rheostat is simply a resistor for which you can vary the amount of resistance it
has along a range.
How does a rheostat vary resistance?
There are several different ways to do this but a simple one is to vary the length
of
the resistance wire is wound on a tube.

The length of wire connected in the circuit may be changed by adjusting the
position of the sliding contact, C.

Using V=IR to find different electrical quantities

This is done simply by adjusting (transposing) the formula. As we transpose the

formula, let us consider what each of them.

Consider first that we know of ways to measure the voltage and current of
circuits using the Ammeter and Voltmeter, however, what about the resistance?
There are devices that can measure the average resistance of a resistor, but
finding the resistance of a whole circuit can be a bit difficult as everything has its
own resistive qualities.
It is often easiest to simply use the measured current and voltage to come up
with the resistance

R = V/I

This actually tells us that the RESITANCE of a circuit can increase if the Voltage
increases or the current decreases. The resistance increasing as current decreases
makes sense as we know that resistance is literally the opposition to current so it
makes sense that the greater the opposition, the less the current.
Consider now that we want to know the current. Changing the formula, we
have:

I = V/R

Again, this makes more sense in that increasing the resistance will make the
current start to diminish.
Examples
Example 1. Calculate the resistance of a hotplate if the current is 6 A and the
voltage is 240 V.

Example 2. How much current would flow through a lamp of resistance 22.5 52,
connected to a 4.5 V supply?

Paying for electricity

Most of us in Guyana obtain our electricity from the Power Company and we
must pay for the electrical energy we use each month. But how does the
company know how much electrical energy we use each month so as to send us
the correct bill? Of course, there is in our homes an electricity meter that
measures the amount of electrical energy used. Gasoline is a fuel or a source of
chemical energy used to run our cars. When we buy 'gas' from a 'gas' station, it is
normally measured in litres by a special pump with a meter. The pump measures
the volume of fuel taken and we pay according to this volume. But how is the
electrical energy really measured and in what unit is it measured?

The wattage of appliances

Electrical appliances used in the home change the electrical energy supplied to
them into other types of energy such as light, heat, sound or mechanical energy.
For example, a fluorescent lamp changes electrical energy to light energy. Also,
an electric iron changes electrical energy to heat energy. List some other
household appliances and state the type of energy into which the electrical
energy is converted. In these electrical appliances, what is important is not only
the amount of energy transformed but the rate at which the energy is
transformed. This is called the power of the appliances. The power of an
electrical appliance is the rate at which it transforms electrical energy to other
types.

The unit of energy is the joule (J) and the unit of time is the second (s). Therefore,
the unit of power is J/s (Joule per second) or watt (one watt is one Joule per
second). In electrical circuits the power of a bulb, for example, is the number of
joules of energy transformed in one second. The power is sometimes referred to
as the wattage. The power or wattage of a bulb can be found by measuring the
current through it and the voltage across it.

Most of us are familiar with some electrical appliances in the home. A lot of them
have labels on them that can give us information about them. Usually, we can see
quotes on these labels that indicate the WATTAGE and the VOLTAGE. This is
because we usually have control over the voltage source (110V, 240V) and so
voltage is a more important quantity to quote. Some labels however, state current
rating as well.

This information is the POWER RATING of the appliance and tells us how it
operates. The
following information was copied from an electric sewing machine, 120 V, 0.75
A, 60 Hz. The power rating is obtained by multiplying Vx A i.e. 120 V x 0.75 A =
90 W. On some appliances, the power rating is given in watts. Look at a light
bulb and you will see this.

Below is a table showing the common power rating of household appliances.

Comparing Energy at different Wattages

Recall the formula we established earlier for power. We established a

relationship between energy and power. Energy can take many different forms
such as electrical energy, heat energy, light energy, etc. This energy can be useful
to humans depending on how it is used.
EXAMPLE: A bulb uses electrical energy and uses it to produce Light energy and
heat energy. This is important to note because according to the formula, to
produce MORE ENERGY we will also consume MORE POWER.
Thinking back to the light bulb, if we have 2 similar bulbs, that use the same
voltage e.g. 110V, but have different power ratings, then the one with the higher
Power rating will usually give off the most light and the most heat.
Therefore, more power consumed means more energy produced.

What happens when Electricity passes through Liquids?

For certain chemical liquids, when an electric current is passed through them,
they can begin to decompose into ions (cations and anions) and begin a chemical
reaction. The decomposing liquid in this instance is called an electrolyte
The process of an electrolyte decomposing by passing an electrical current
through it is called ELECTROLYSIS.
This is actually a very important process as it is also how certain types of
batteries work.
Let us examine an experiment in more details.
Consider the above setup. Pure water is a non-electrolyte, but small amounts of
dilute sulphuric acid or sodium hydroxide solution can be added to make it an
electrolyte. After the current is switched on, it would be found that bubbles
would be given off at both the cathode and the anode. The water molecule (H20)
is broken down into ions, as shown by the equation:

The positively charged anode would attract negatively charged ions (01-11 called
anions. The hydroxide ions (OH) are broken down, forming oxygen and water,
with the oxygen given off:

Bubbles of oxygen gas are formed at the anode. The electrons flow into the
circuit. The negative cathode would attract the positively charged ions (H-F)
called cations and they take in the electrons to form hydrogen molecules.

Applications of the chemical effect of electricity

As we have seen in the previous topic, we can see that electricity can be used to
cause chemical reactions. One major application we will examine is
ELECTROPLATING.
Electroplating is widely done and a variety of materials is used. Iron, which rusts
easily can be covered with nickel, silver, chromium, tin or even zinc. These kinds
of plating not only prevent rusting and corrosion but also improve the
appearance of the article thus treated.

Just as electricity can cause a chemical reaction to take place during electrolysis,
electrochemical reaction can make an electric current flow round a circuit. If
lead is used at the negative plate and lead dioxide is used as the positive plate in
dilute sulphuric acid, reactions take place and electricity is the result. This
principle is used to manufacture accumulators such as car batteries. If you could
get a worn-out car battery examine it carefully.

Let us look at a setup of ELECTROPLATING.

In the above experiment, you would have noticed that the loss in mass of the
anode was equal to the gain in mass of the cathode. Electrolysis is used to
produce pure copper. To do this, impure copper is placed at the anode and pure
copper at the cathode and the electrolyte is a copper salt. Copper from the anode
would move to the cathode thus building up pure copper. The impurities at the
anode would be deposited in the solution. At the anode, copper dissolves and
forms copper ions and electrons, which flow to the cathode.