Year 7

Electricity
Learning objectives
• Use a simple model to describe
electricity as a flow of electrons around
a circuit.
• Describe electrical conductors as
substances that allow electron flow and
electrical insulators as substances that
inhibit electron flow.
• Use diagrams and conventional symbols
to represent, make and compare circuits
that include cells, switches, lamps,
buzzers and ammeters.
Key Terms
• Ammeter: a device used to measure electric current.
• Ampere: Unit of current, e.g. the current in the bulb is 4 amps or
amperes (A).
• Battery: a chemical supply of electrical energy. For example, common
battery voltages include 1.5V and 9V.
• Cell: a store of internal energy that can be transferred as an electric
current in a circuit.
• Electron: is a stable negatively charged component of an atom.
Electrons exist outside of and surrounding the atom nucleus. Each
electron carries one unit of negative charge.
Electrical current
• The flow of electrons in the circuit is
called current.
• Electrons are charged particles.
• Inside a copper wire there are copper
ions.
• The ions are atoms that have lost or
gained electrons.
• Some of the electrons on the outside of
the copper atoms are not bound strongly
and can leave the atoms and move
around
How is current measured?
• Current is measured in amperes (A), amps for short.
• Small current is measured in milliamps (mA)
• Current is measured with a meter called an ammeter.
• The circuit symbol for an ammeter is:
Below is a circuit with an ammeter
Modelling electrical circuits

• Current cannot be seen flowing in a wire.

• To make it easier to work out what is happening in different
circuits, scientists use different use different models.
• A model is a helpful way of thinking about something you
cannot see.
The rope model

• One way of modelling what is happening in a

circuit is to use a piece of rope.
• The rope is tied to make a continuous loop.
• One person is the battery and another the
lamp.
• Person x moves the rope around the circle by
pulling it through his hands. This is like a
battery pushing the charges or electrons
around the circuit.
• Person Y grips the rope gently and makes it
feel moving through. His hand gets warm. This
is like what happens in a lamp. The filament
gets so hot it gives out light.
The water circuit model
• In this model:
• The pipes are the wires in a circuit
• The water is like electrons or charges
• The pump pushes water around the pipe. The
pump is like a cell or battery
• The tap can stop the flow of water like a switch
can stop the current in a circuit.
• The meter measures the flow like an ammeter in
a circuit.
• The narrow pipe models a bulb or lamp or buzzer.
 • It would take a long time to draw pictures of components in a circuit.
• A circuit diagram shows how the components are connected.
• Use straight lines to show the wires and circuit symbols to represent
each component. A picture and diagram of a circuit are shown below.

A diagram of a circuit
A picture of a circuit

Circuit symbols and diagrams

Components in a circuit
• A cell has a positive and negative terminal.
• On a circuit symbol the long line represents the positive terminal, and
the short line represents the negative terminal.
• A battery contains two or more cells.
• When a cell or battery is connected to a circuit, it provides a push to
make the electrons move.
• The moving electrons make an electric current.
 • Electrical conductors
are substances that
allow electron flow.
• Therefore, a
conductor is a
Electrical material in which
electrons are free to
conductors move.
• All metals are
conductors.
• Wires that carry
electric current are
made from metals
 • Electrical insulators are
materials that inhibit
electron flow.
• In an insulator, the
electrons are not free to
move.
Electrical
• Most non-metals, such as
insulators plastic, wood, air and
cotton are insulators.
• Insulators are used to keep
people safe from
electricity.