How can we understand, design, and control electrical pathways?

Targets

At the end of this Unit you should be able to answer the following questions 

1. What are electricity and magnetism, and how can they be used safely?

1.1 What is electricity?

1.2 What is magnetism, and how is it related to electricity?

1.3 What are the dangers of electricity, and how can it be used safely?

2. How can electricity be controlled and used?

2.1 How is the electricity we use daily measured and paid for?

2.2 Do all materials allow electricity to flow through them?

2.3 How can we understand, design, and control electrical pathways?

2.4 How can we change circuits to control the amount of electricity that flows?

3. How can we use electrical circuits to build devices?

3.1 How can electrical technology be used to build devices and solve problems?

targets


                                                                      

We generally do not want electrical devices to run all the time.  Imagine if we could not turn devices off!

  • Batteries would wear out too quickly.
  • Electricity bills would increase.
  • Devices could overheat and cause fires.
  • Appliances would break down more quickly.
  • It would hurt the environment.
  • We do not need devices to be on all the time.  For example, we require darkness to sleep or view movies.

A switch allows us to control the flow of electricity without handling any wires.

We can close a circuit so that electricity can flow (on position) or open the circuit when we want to stop the flow of electricity (off position). 


Pixabay
     

We enjoy using our devices, but we also want to control how they are used.  We can switch them off, or we can dim the screen so that we do not use as much battery power.