Stand

up!
 ☺ ☺
☺
☺ ☺
☺ ☺
☺ ☺
☺ ☺
 cell

energy

☺ ☺
☺
☺ electron
☺
☺ ☺
☺
lamp
☺
☺ ☺
 Electrons

Hi, I’m Eleanor the electron.

☺
Coulomb of charge (electrons)
Think of it as a “bag of electrons” (containing
6000000000000000000 electrons!)

☺ ☺
☺
☺ ☺☺
☺
☺ ☺☺ ☺
☺
☺☺☺☺ ☺ ☺☺☺
☺
☺ ☺ ☺☺☺
☺ ☺ ☺ ☺
☺ ☺
☺
☺ ☺ ☺ ☺
☺
 I’m counting

Current
how many
coulombs of

☺
electrons go

☺ past me every

☺ second

☺
The rate of flow of electric
charge (number of ☺
Coulombs flowing past a A
point in the circuit every
☺ second). ☺
I = ΔQ/Δt
☺ ☺
☺ ☺
1 Amp = 1 coulomb per second
One ampere of current represents one coulomb of electrical charge
(6.24 x 1018 charge carriers) moving past a specific point in one
second.

Let’s build some circuits!

☺
 In a series circuit
Current is the same at any point in the circuit

2.5 A 2.5 A

2.5 A 2.5 A
 In a parallel circuit
The current splits (total current stays the
same)
2.5 A

2.5 A

1.25 A

1.25 A
Voltage(emf)
☺ ☺
☺
V
☺ ☺
☺ ☺
I’m checking the
difference in energy
(per coulomb)
between the 2 red

☺
arrows
☺
☺ ☺
1 Volt = 1 Joule per coulomb
Voltage (p.d.)
☺ ☺
I’m checking the
☺
☺
difference in energy
(per coulomb)
before and after the
☺
lamp

☺ ☺
V
☺ ☺
☺ ☺
1 Volt = 1 Joule per coulomb
 Voltage = p.d.
Electric potential difference between
two points is the work done per unit
charge to move a small positive charge
between two points. It is essentially the
difference in energy for each electron
between 2 points
Is voltage and potential difference the same ?

Voltage (which is sometimes called “potential difference”)

measures the amount of energy each electron either
receives from the cell or gives to the lamp.

The voltage measured across a cell tells us how much

energy each electron is receiving.
The voltage measured across a lamp tells us how much
energy each electron is giving to the lamp.
 In a series circuit
The sum of the p.d.s across the lamps
equals the emf across the cells

9V

3V 3V 3V
 In a parallel circuit
In a simple parallel circuit, p.d. across
each lamp equals the e.m.f. across the
cells
5V

5V

5V
 Resistance
Measures how difficult it is for current to
flow. Measured in Ohms (Ω)

A
V

Resistance = voltage/current R = V/I

 Ohm’s Law
• V = IR

V
I X
R
Adding resistances
In series?
Adding resistors in series
Examples
Adding resistors in parallel
Adding resistors in parallel
Examples
Other examples
Voltages in circuits
 Resistance of a lamp
Vary the voltage and current using a variable resistor
(rheostat). Plot a graph of voltage (p.d.) against current

A
V

Resistance = voltage/current R = V/I

 Non-Ohmic behaviour
• p.d. is not proportional to the current
 Ohmic behaviour
• p.d. is proportional to the current

Metal wires
at constant
temperature
 Resistance of a lamp
• As the current in a lamp increases, its
resistance increases. Why?
How does a Wires shape affect
the resistance it has?
• Why are some objects good at resisting
and some not so good?
 Power
The amount of energy used by a device
per second, measured in Watts (Joules
per second)

A
V

Power = voltage x current P = VI

 Power dissipated in a
resistor/lamp
• P = VI
• From Ohm’s law, V = IR
• So P = VI = I2R

• From Ohm’s law also, I = V/R

• So P = VI = V2/R
 Total energy
So the total energy transformed by a lamp
is the power (J/s) times the time the lamp
is on for in seconds,

E = VIt
E = energy transformed (J)
V = Voltage (also called p.d.)
I = current (A)
t = time (s)
LDRs, Thermistors in potential
divider circuits