Electricity

Tabla de contenidos
Tabla de contenidos 1
1. Electricity as a form of energy 3
Recuerda 3
Great scientists: Benjamin Franklin 3
Definition of electricity 4
Show what you know about rays 4
Consolidation 4
Boost your learning: Electricity as a form of energy 5
2. Electrical charges 5
Static electricity 6
Consolidation 6
Boost your learning: Electrical charges 6
3. Electric current 6
Conductive materials and insulating materials 6
Electric cables 7
Create 7
Difference conductive materials and insulators 7
Electric circuits 7
The simulators 8
How the electrical circuit works 8
Define the components of an electrical circuit 8
How the electric battery works 9
The uses of electric current 9
Study a case 9
Light bulbs: functioning and types 10
Identify safety measures in the workplace for electricity 10
The production and transport of electricity 10
Research 11
Power plants 11
Recuerda 12
Electricity production 12
Learn about electricity production in a thermal power plant 12
Consolidation 13
Boost your learning: Electric current 13
4. Electricity and magnetism 13
Magnetism 13
Magnetic poles and compasses 14
Electricity and magnetism 14
Electromagnetism 14
Recuerda 15
Homemade electromagnet 15
Consolidation 15
Boost your learning: Electricity and magnetism 16
5. Exercises, projects and skills 16
Skills: study of static electricity 16
Skills: study of the production of electricity 16
Skills: identifying the elements of a circuit 16
Skills: making a battery from a lemon 16
Skills: identifying the Earth's magnetism 17
Skills: the origin of the electricity you consume 17
Skills: advances related to electricity 17
6. Fin de unidad: Repaso 17

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Concept map 17
Self-assessment 17
References 18
Enlaces de referencia 18
Enlaces de referencia 18
7. Additional teacher resources 18
Project: construction of an electric circuit 18
Project: study on electricity in robotics 18
Links: Electricity 18
Activity bank 18
Exam: Electricity 19

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Electricity

1. Electricity as a form of energy

Many of the appliances that we use, both at home and outside, work thanks to electrical energy. We live in a society
that is totally dependent on electricity. This is why it is essential to know how it is created and what are its main
characteristics.

Electricity has become a necessity in today's world. Without it, our electrical appliances would not work and there
would be no light at night time.
Electrical energy is one of the most common energies in our daily lives, as many of the appliances around us need
it to work. From the electrical appliances in our homes to street lighting and even electronic devices and multimedia
equipment. Electricity is a manifestation of electrical energy.
Electricity can be created artificially in:

Electric power stations: where it is produced from other types of energy such as hydraulic or wind energy.
Batteries: in which it is produced from chemical energy.

Recuerda
Chemical energy is what is obtained from chemical reactions or changes in matter. These are processes that
change the nature of a substance and transform them into another. Combustion, oxidation and fermentation are
chemical reactions.

However, although electricity can be generated using these methods, it is not in itself an artificial phenomenon, as it
can be found naturally in the Universe. One of the clearest displays of electricity in nature is lightning. These
electrical phenomena are caused by electric charges that exist in the atmosphere. Electrical energy also exists
in living organisms. For example, in the electrical signals that the nervous system sends to show that you have
touched something with your hand.

Great scientists: Benjamin Franklin

American politician and scientist, he is known as one of the founders of the United States, but he also has a very
interesting scientific side.
Franklin studied electrical phenomena. His best known experiment was with a kite. One day in a storm he tied a
metal key to the silk thread that he used as a kite string. The key ended up being electrically charged so he

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Electricity

concluded that the clouds were charged with electricity and the lightning was an electric discharge. From here he
invented the lightning conductor.

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin.

Representation of his experiment with the kite and the key.

Definition of electricity
Image sequence that explains what electricity is and how it is produced

Show what you know about rays

Activity with animation that considers questions about the origin and the process of rays

Consolidation

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Electricity

Activities to consolidate what you have learned in this section.

Boost your learning: Electricity as a form of energy

Activities on Electricity as a form of energy

2. Electrical charges

Have you ever felt a spark when you touch a person or an object? This happens because your body or the object
are electrically charged, that is, they have electric charges. Electric charges are particles of matter that create
electrical phenomena, such as sparks and lightning.
Electric charges can be positive or negative. When a body has the same number of positive and negative
charges, we can say that it is an electrically neutral body. The majority of objects that surround us are electrically
neutral, that is, their positive and negative charges are balanced.
However, negative charges often easily pass from one body to another and this causes imbalances. As a result, we
can distinguish between:
Negatively charged bodies: these are bodies with more negative charges than positive ones.
Positively charged bodies: these are bodies with more positive charges than negative ones.

The boy's hair is in contact with the slide as he goes down it, taking on a positive charge and the hairs then repel
each other. This explains what we sometimes call electrified hair.

The electrically charged bodies relate to one another depending on the sign of their charges:

When the bodies have the same charge sign, they repel one another. That is, if we put two positively
charged bodies together, these tend to separate from one another. The same thing happens with two
negatively charged bodies. This can be seen, for example, if we rub two filled balloons with wool and then put
them together. We can see how the balloons move away from one another.
When the bodies have a different charge sign, they attract one another. That is, if we move a positively
charged body to a negatively charged body, these tend to stay together. We can see this, for example, if we
rub a plastic stick with wool and then hold it near little pieces of paper. In this case, we will see how the pieces
of paper are attracted to the plastic.

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Electricity

You can learn more about electrical charges and static electricity in this animation on the PhET website [see].

Bodies with different charges attract one another, while those with the same charge repel one another.
Static electricity
Sometimes, when we rub specific materials together, it produces a strange effect that makes them attract or repel
one another. For example, after brushing hair a lot with a plastic comb, it is possible that the plastic slightly attracts
our hair. This is because it is charged with static electricity. Static electricity also causes the crackling that we can
hear when we take off a woollen jumper or the spark that can sometimes occur when we touch another person or a
metal object.

Consolidation

Activities to consolidate what you have learned in this section.

Boost your learning: Electrical charges

Activities on Electrical charges

3. Electric current

Electricity can move inside bodies. When this circulation happens in an orderly way, it is called electric current. This
electric current is the orderly circulation of electric charges which occur through the electric cables in our homes.

Conductive materials and insulating materials

We can say that electric current moves inside bodies, but not all bodies allow electric current to move inside them.

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Electricity

Depending on a material's ability to transmit electric current, we can distinguish between conducting and insulating
materials:
Conductive materials: are materials that allow electricity to pass through them. For example, most metals
are good electrical conductors.
Insulating materials: are materials that do not allow electricity to pass through them, such as rubber and
glass.

Electric cables
Electric cables make it possible to transport electricity. There are made with copper, a conductive material that
makes it possible for electric current to flow freely inside it. Each copper conductor is usually covered with an
insulating material, such as plastic, which prevents the loss of electric current. Finally, cables made up of several
conductors are covered with a common plastic covering, which is more rigid and protects them from external
agents (temperature, rain, sunlight, knocks, etc.).

Inside the electrical wires we find copper wires, which is a conductor material. In order to protect the conductor
wires and to avoid current losses and the current passing to us when we touch them, these wires are covered with
an insulating material such as plastic.

Create
An experiment on electrical conductivity
Electrical conductivity is the ability of materials to let electrical current through. There are materials that transmit the
current easily, and others that block its flow.
Design a group experiment to determine which of these materials best transmit electricity: glass, wood, porcelain,
metal, plastic. For the results to be valid, the experiment must follow the steps of the scientific method.

Difference conductive materials and insulators

Activity for classifying different materials as conductors or insulators

Electric circuits

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Electricity

An electrical circuit is a group of components that have been joined together to allow electric current to flow and to
be distributed. The basic elements of an electrical circuit are as follows:
Current generator: element that provides the circuit with electric current. It can be a battery or the mains
electricity.
Conducting element: element that conducts the current through the circuit. It is usually copper cable.
Electronic receiver or device: element that uses electric current to work. An electrical circuit may have
more than one electronic receiver. These may be bulbs or electrical appliances.
The switch: element that opens or closes the electrical circuit. When the switch allows the electric current
to flow through the circuit, we say that it is a closed circuit. On the other hand, if the switch is open, the circuit is
interrupted and the electric current does not flow through it.
If you would like to check if you have correctly understood how an electrical circuit works, you can do this interactive,
which has a test at the end [see].

A basic electrical circuit is made up of a switch, generator, a conducting wire and a receiver.

The simulators
In the creation of advanced electrical circuits, computer programs called simulators are often used, which allow
situations or system behaviour to be reproduced. Thanks to these, researchers can carry out the necessary
calculations to find out the characteristics that each element of the circuit must have in order for it to work optimally.

How the electrical circuit works

Interactive that explains how an electrical circuit works

Define the components of an electrical circuit

Activity for listing the components of an electrical circuit with their definition

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Electricity

How the electric battery works

Animation that shows the components, functioning, type and main applications of the batteries

The uses of electric current

Electric current is very useful in our daily lives, as it provides electricity to a huge number of appliances that we use
in our homes, at school or even in our free time. Among its main uses, we can highlight three very important ones:
Light: Electric current allows us to have artificial light to illuminate our homes and the streets. Light bulbs
generate light, and so do televisions and computers. When light is produced, electrical energy is transformed
into light energy.
Heat: electric current is also used to create heat. In this case, electrical energy is converted into thermal
energy through appliances such as heaters, dryers and ovens.
Motion: electric current can be used to create motion, using motors that transform electrical energy into
mechanical energy. Trains, industrial machines, lifts and escalators all work thanks to electric current.

Electric cars transform electrical energy into mechanical energy, that is, into movement.
Study a case
Electrical appliances
Many of the appliances we have at home and use every day are powered by electricity. But do you know how they
are used, what their characteristics are and what risks are involved in their use?
Select an electrical appliance that you have at home and study the following points:
What benefits it provides and what changes it has produced in your home.
Its technical characteristics. You can look them up in their instruction manual.
The different risks involved in its improper use.

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Electricity

How you should use it so that it works optimally and you can get the most out of it.
Finally, summarise all the information you have collected in a report.

Light bulbs: functioning and types

Animation that describes the characteristics, physical properties, functioning and types of light bulbs

Identify safety measures in the workplace for electricity

Activity that deals with the safety measures necessary when working with electricity

The production and transport of electricity

Electricity can be found naturally in living organisms and in nature. But what we use in our homes and in industry is
produced artificially in electric power stations.
Electric power stations transform different types of energy into electrical energy using electromagnetic
generators. They are made up of a cable coil that turns between two magnets and this produces electricity. This
mechanism , in turn, is driven by a turbine, which consists of a giant wheel or helix. Different types of energy can be
used to move the turbine and the generator.

Small manual electromagnetic generator. The coil of copper wire is turned between two magnets thanks to the
crank, thus producing electricity. In a power plant, instead of a crank, there are turbines (which are giant wheels or
blades) and they are not turned by a hand but by the force of water, wind or vapour.
Depending on the type of energy they use and the source they obtain it from, we can distinguish between various
types of electric power stations:

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Electricity

Thermal power station: this uses thermal energy or the heat created from burning fossil fuels to heat water
and produce steam that moves the generator.
Nuclear power station: this uses the heat or thermal energy that is obtained from the fusion of atoms of
matter to heat water and create steam that moves the generator.
Hydroelectric power station: this uses the mechanical energy of water from rivers to make the generator
rotate.
Tidal power station: this uses the mechanical energy of the tides to make the turbines turn, which moves
the generator.
Wind power station: this uses the mechanical energy of the wind to move the generator.
Solar photovoltaic power station: this type of power station does not use generators to produce electricity.
Photovoltaic panels transform light energy from the Sun into electrical energy without any need for
generators.
Solar thermal power station: this uses the thermal energy that the Sun releases to produce steam that
makes the turbines, and in turn, the generator rotate.
Geothermal power station: this uses the thermal energy of the Earth to heat water and create the steam
that makes the generator turn.
Biomass power station: it uses the thermal energy obtained from burning waste to heat water, which
produces the steam that moves the generator.
Some of these plants, due to the source they use and the way they generate the energy, cause less environmental
impact. This is the case, for example, with wind power plants or photovoltaic solar plants. This is why more and
more people are opting for them to the detriment of more polluting plants, such as thermal or nuclear ones. This new
way of generating clean energy, as those that are most respectful of the environment are called, is largely due to
technological advances such as photovoltaic panels.

Tidal power stations use the force of the tides to make the large turbines turn, which moves the generator. This is
how they produce electricity.
Research
New technologies applied to electricity saving
Growing social concern for the environment has led to the development of technological devices that allow energy to
be generated in a way that respects our environment and saves electricity. Some examples of these new
technologies are solar panels, which are increasingly efficient; electricity meters, which allow electricity consumption
to be regulated; or home automation, which allows a more efficient management of electrical appliances in the
home and saves energy.
Choose and research a technological device that favours electricity saving and explain how it works, what benefits it
brings to the environment and why it plays an important role.

Power plants

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Interactive to review the different types of power plants that exist according to the source of energy

Recuerda
There are different types of energy:
Mechanical energy: is created by a body in movement.
Thermal or calorific energy: is the energy released by bodies in the form of heat.
Light or luminous energy: is the energy that transmits light.
Electrical energy: is the energy that moves through an electric current.
Chemical energy: is the energy released in chemical reactions.
Nuclear energy: is the energy contained in atoms of matter.

Electricity generated in electrical power plants must be distributed throughout an area so that all users have power,
including: private homes, businesses, public places, etc. This distribution is carried out through the electric network
or grid, which can be in the air or underground.

The power lines distribute the electricity generated in power stations.

Electricity production
Animation that describes how electricity or electric energy is obtained in a hydroelectric power plant

Learn about electricity production in a thermal power plant

Activity with animation that considers questions about how electricity or electric energy is obtained in a thermal
power plant

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Electricity

Consolidation

Activities to consolidate what you have learned in this section.

Boost your learning: Electric current

Activities on Electric current

4. Electricity and magnetism

Have you ever used a magnet? When you put a magnet near an object made of iron or other metals, they will
immediately stick to it. The property with which magnets attract metals is called magnetism. Magnetism is very
closely related to electricity, as it can produce magnetism and vice versa. The relationship between electricity and
magnetism is called electromagnetism.

Magnetism

In ancient Greece, a mineral was discovered called magnetite, which attracts certain metal objects like iron. This
property was named magnetism.
Magnets are bodies that have the property of attracting metals, especially iron and steel, so we would say that they
have magnetic properties. The area that surrounds the magnet is able to attract other bodies and is known as a
magnetic field.
Magnets have two ends that are called poles. One of them is called the south pole or positive and the other is
called the north pole or negative. In the same way as electric charges, if the poles are the same sign, they repel
one another and if they are of a different sign, they attract one another.

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Electricity

Magnets have two poles and create magnetic fields around them, as in the image.
Magnetic poles and compasses
The core of the Earth is made up of a mixture of metals, making it work like a huge magnet. The Earth has a north
magnetic pole and a south magnetic pole, which are located near to the geographic poles. The discovery of this
fact made it possible for the compass to be invented in the 3rd century in China. The compass is an instrument that,
thanks to a magnetised needle, precisely points to the direction and polarity of the Earth's magnetic axis. It is very
useful to know your position, as it allows you to know where each geographic pole is wherever you are.

Electricity and magnetism

Interactive that explains the concept of magnetism and how magnets work

Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism is the branch of physics that studies the relationship between magnetic fields and electrical
phenomena.
Electric current, when moving through an electrical circuit, creates a weak magnetic field. This magnetic field
can increase its intensity if we roll the cable that the electric current moves through around a piece of iron. As the
magnetic field is intensified, it creates a kind of magnet, known as an electromagnet.

Electromagnets behave in the same way as magnets. They attract certain metals, provided that an electric current
moves through the circuit. At the moment that the electric current stops flowing, the piece of iron loses its magnetic
properties.

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Electricity

A simple electromagnet, for example, consists of a circuit supplied by a battery, where the conducting cable is
rolled onto an iron nail.
Additionally, in the same way that electricity creates magnetism, magnetism can also create electricity. When
you move a magnet close to an electric cable, it creates a weak electric current inside it. The stronger the magnet is
and the faster it moves, the more electric current it will create. This is what the mechanism of electromagnetic
generators is based on, which are devices that can produce electricity from the movement of magnets.

Recuerda
Electromagnetic generators are used in electrical power stations to produce electricity. Electromagnetic
generators are basically made of a coil of copper cable that turns between two magnets. This movement transforms
different types of energy into mechanical energy, which is what makes the coil turn.

Small manual electromagnetic generator.

Homemade electromagnet
Interactive for making a homemade electromagnet

Consolidation

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Electricity

Activities to consolidate what you have learned in this section.

Boost your learning: Electricity and magnetism

Activities on Electricity and magnetism

5. Exercises, projects and skills

Test your abilities and apply what you have learned with these resources.

Skills: study of static electricity

Activity that proposes an experiment to understand how static electricity works

Skills: study of the production of electricity

Activity to study the process of generating electrical power

Skills: identifying the elements of a circuit

Activity that proposes an experiment to identify the basic components of an electric circuit

Skills: making a battery from a lemon

Activity to develop the skills to see how the chemical energy of living beings can be used to obtain electric energy

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Electricity

Skills: identifying the Earth's magnetism

Activity that proposes an experiment to identify the Earth's magnetism and understand its consequences

Skills: the origin of the electricity you consume

Activity that proposes to carry out a study about the type of energy we consume in Spain and the advantages and
disadvantages that each of them presents

Skills: advances related to electricity

Activity that proposes to carry out a research process about some scientists, the discoveries they made and to
value their importance

6. Fin de unidad: Repaso

Concept map
Concept map of the topic Electricity

Self-assessment
Activity to assess the student's knowledge on the topic Electricity

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Electricity

References

Enlaces de referencia
Webpages on electricity and magnetism in aulaPlaneta

Enlaces de referencia
Interactive about electrical safety at home on the Switched On Kids website.

7. Additional teacher resources

Project: construction of an electric circuit

Activity that guides the collaborative work to learn how to build an applied electrical circuit

Project: study on electricity in robotics

Activity that guides the collaborative work to study the importance of electricity in robotics

Links: Electricity
Sequence of resources and external references to delve into the topic

Activity bank
Open answer activity on the topic Electricity

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Electricity

Exam: Electricity
Self-correcting test to evaluate the expected learning on the topic Electricity

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