 The basic building block

for matter, anything that

has mass and occupies
space, is the atom.
 All matter - solid, liquid, or gas - is
made up of molecules, or atoms joined
together.

 These atoms are the smallest particles

into which an element or substance can
be divided without losing its
properties.
  There are only about 100 different atoms
that make up everything in our world.

 The features that make one atom

different from another also determine its
electrical properties.

Synthetic Rubber,

Chemical Structure. Atoms are

represented as spheres with
conventional color coding: hydrogen
(white), carbon (grey), chlorine
(green)
 An atom is like a tiny solar
system.

 The center is called the

nucleus, made up of tiny
particles called protons and
neutrons.

 The nucleus is surrounded

by clouds of other tiny
particles called electrons.

 The electrons rotate about

the nucleus in fixed paths
called shells or rings.
 Hydrogen has the simplest atom with
one proton in the nucleus and one
electron rotating around it.
 Hydrogen has the simplest atom with
one proton in the nucleus and one
electron rotating around it.

 Copper is more complex with 29

electrons in four different rings
rotating around a nucleus that has 29
protons and 29 neutrons.
 Hydrogen has the simplest atom with
one proton in the nucleus and one
electron rotating around it.

 Copper is more complex with 29

electrons in four different rings
rotating around a nucleus that has 29
protons and 29 neutrons.

 Other elements have different atomic

structures.
 Each atomic particle has
an electrical charge.

 Electrons have a negative

(-) charge.
 Each atomic particle has
an electrical charge.

 Electrons have a negative

(-) charge.

 Protons have a positive

charge.

 Neutrons have no charge;

they are neutral
 In a balanced atom, the number of
electrons equals the number of
protons.

 The balance of the opposing

negative and positive charges holds
the atom together.

 Like charges repel, unlike charges

attract.

 The positive protons hold the

electrons in orbit.
 Centrifugal force prevents the
electrons from moving inward.

 And, the neutrons cancel the

repelling force between protons to
hold the atom's core together.
 Carbon
Atom
6 Protons
6 Electrons Carbon
Atom (-
ion)
6 Protons
8 Electrons
 If an atom gains electrons, it becomes
a negative ion.
 Carbon
Atom
6 – Protons
6 - Electrons
Carbon
Atom (+
ion)
6 – Protons
5 - Electrons
 If an atom loses electrons,
it
becomes a positive ion.
 Positive ions attract electrons from neighboring atoms to become balanced.
 This causes electron flow.
 An electron travels around the
nucleus at exactly the speed needed
to hold its orbit.
 The between the
balance nucleus pull
toward the force of the and
centrifugal moving the
electron keeps each electron in its
respective orbit (shell).
 The electrons in the outer shell are
called valence electrons.
 Valence electrons are further from
the nucleus and easier to force out
of orbit.
 Electrons in the inner rings are
closer to the core, strongly
attracted to the protons, and are
called bound electrons.
 When there is a good path or conductor, electrons can flow from one atom to another.
 When electrons flow from one atom to another, electric current flow exists.
 An atom that is missing an electron is called a positive ion.
 An atom with an extra electron is called a negative ion.
 An atom that is missing an electron is called a positive ion.
 An atom with an extra electron is called a negative ion.
 Ions seek balance – positive ions want to gain an electron and negative ions want to get
rid of one.
 These attracting and repelling forces
make up the electrical pressure called
Electromotive Force (EMF). Another
name for EMF is “voltage”.
 Electrons flowing from one atom to
another create electrical current.
 The ease or difficulty with which
electrons flow through a material
determines its classification as either
a conductor or insulator.
 Electrons can be freed by forces such
as friction, heat, light, pressure,
chemical action, or magnetic action.
 Atoms are different from material to material.
 The more valence electrons a material has, the harder it is
to get them to move.
 Conversely, the fewer number of valence electrons, the
easier it is to move them.
 The difference between a conductor and an insulator is
determined by the number of valence electrons.

Valence Electron
 Conductors – A good conductor is any element that has less than four electrons in the
outer shell.
 Copper is a common conductor used in automotive wiring because it is strong,
relatively inexpensive, and has very little resistance to electron flow.
 Other good conductors include (in order from best to worst):

 Silver
 Gold Atom of Copper
 Aluminum
 Tungsten 29 – Protons
 Iron 29 – Electrons
 Steel 1 – Valence Electrons
 Mercury
 Insulators – An insulator is any element that has more
than four electrons in the outer shell.
 Insulators are materials that prevent or block current flow.
 The material around wires insulates the wire, protecting
the wire and also preventing electrical shock.
 Some examples of good insulators include:
 Plastic
 Glass
 Rubber
 Porcelain
 Distilled water (although
Synthetic rubber, chemical structure. Atoms are
minerals in drinking water represented as spheres with conventional color
coding: hydrogen (white), carbon (grey),
will conduct electricity) chlorine (green)
 Semiconductors – Materials with exactly four electrons in their outer orbit are neither
conductors nor insulators, but are called semiconductors.
 Semiconductors can be either an insulator or a conductor in different design applications.
 Examples of semiconductors include:
 Silicon
 Germanium
 Carbon
 Semiconductors are used mostly in
transistors, computers, and other
electronic devices.
 Conventional theory.

 It was once thought that electricity had only one charge and moved from
positive to negative, commonly used for automotive systems, says current
flows from (+) to (-) ... excess electrons flow from an area of high potential to
one of low potential (-).

 This theory of the flow of electricity through a conductor is called the

conventional theory of current flow.
 Electron theory.

 The discovery of the electron and its negative charge led to the electron
theory, which states that there is electron flow from negative to positive and
commonly used for electronics, says current flows from (-) to (+) ... excess
electrons cause an area of negative potential (-) and flow toward an area
lacking electrons, an area of positive potential (+), to balance the charges.

 Most automotive applications use the conventional theory.