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    School

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf or txt
    16 views7 pages

    School

    Uploaded by

    aaquil114
    school notes

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

    ● Explain what is meant by current, potential difference and resistance of an electrical


    system, stating their units
    Difference between electromotive force & potential
    difference

    ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE
    - of a electrical source around a complete circuit
    Electromotive force is caused by converting other forms of energy into electrical energy-
    amount of energy supplied to one unit charge.

    EXAMPLE:

    A battery has an electromotive force of 12V, it means that the battery supplies 12 joules of
    energy to each unit charge.

    POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE
    - across a component through a component
    The potential difference is the energy used by 1 unit charge in moving from one point to
    another, thus the potential difference between the two points is 7V.
    Metals are good conductors of electricity as they have free electrons that flow
    through the metal and conduct electricity.

    DEFINITION OF POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE (Volt, V) : Potential difference across a


    component is the work done to drive a unit charge across an electrical component (amount
    of energy needed to move a unit charge from one point in an electric circuit to another point)

    Measuring potential difference: Voltmeter is connected in parallel to the electrical


    component.

    The potential difference between two points is the measure of the amount of energy that
    changes into other forms of energy when a unit charge passes between these two points.

    DEFINITION OF CURRENT (Ampere, A) : Electric current is the rate at which electric


    charges flow per second in a circuit.
    Measuring electric current: Ammeter is connected in series in a circuit, with positive red
    terminal of ammeter connected nearest to positive end of cell while negative black terminal
    of ammeter always joins with negative end of cell.

    Comparing currents:
    Current… is larger than Current…

    Conventional current → flow of electric current from positive end of battery to negative end
    of battery
    Electron flow → flow of electric current from negative end of battery to positive end of
    battery

    DEFINITION OF RESISTANCE (Ohm, Ω) : Resistance of a component is the component’s


    opposition to the flow in a circuit, in which it is the ratio of the potential difference across the
    component to the current flowing through it.
    Measuring potential difference: Voltmeter is connected in parallel across the component,
    with the positive terminal of voltmeter connected to the nearest positive end of the cell while
    the negative terminal of voltmeter is connected to the nearest negative end of the cell.

    ● Draw and interpret circuit diagrams and set up circuits containing electrical sources,
    switches, lamps, resistors (fixed and variable), ammeters and voltmeters.

    FORMULAE

    Finding the potential difference between two points

    Finding the current

    Finding the resistance


    ● Explain how arrangement of the components of an electrical system affects the
    outputs of the system (e.g. how series or parallel arrangement of resistors affects the
    brightness of the bulb)
    ● Recall and apply the formulae for the effective resistance of a number of resistors in
    series and in parallel to new situations or to solve related problems.
    ● Apply the relationship R = V/I to new situations or to solve related problems.

    EFFECTIVE RESISTANCE, CURRENT, POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE IN


    SERIES & PARALLEL CIRCUIT

    Series Parallel

    Current (A) The same throughout I = I1 + I2… + In


    (Least resistance, Largest
    current)

    [Current is shared]

    Potential Difference (V) V = V1 + V2.. + Vn Same across the parallel


    (Most resistance, Most PD) branches

    [Voltage is shared in a series]

    Effective Resistance R = R1 + R2…+ Rn 1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2… + 1/Rn/


    (Ohm)

    Series circuit has only one path of flow of current, hence any break in any part of a series
    circuit would stop the flow of current in the whole circuit.

    Parallel circuit has two or more paths of flow of current, hence if there is any break in any
    part of the parallel circuit, the other components would remain on.
    ● Investigate the effects of varying resistance on the current in the circuit using fixed or
    variable resistors
    ● Explain qualitatively the chemical, heating and magnetic effects of an electric current
    and list some applications

    Heating effect of an electric current is when an electric current flows through a wire, the
    wire heats up, as electrical energy is converted to thermal energy.
    Concept: Greater resistance, greater amount of thermal energy produced
    Eg. Copper wire used as connecting wires with low resistance produces less thermal energy,
    Nichrome wire used as a heating element in kettles with high resistance produces more
    thermal energy

    Magnetic effect of an electric current:


    ➔ When an electric current flows through a straight wire, the needle of a compass is
    deflected, showing that an electric current has a magnetic effect
    ➔ When electrical current flows through a coil of wire (solenoid) which is wound
    around a piece of iron, this increases the strength of magnetic effect and the iron rod
    becomes a magnet when placed in a solenoid. When the current stops flowing, the
    iron loses its magnetism. This setup is known as an electromagnet.
    ◆ increase number of batteries, increase the number of coils of wire wound
    around the rod
    The chemical effect of an electric current produces new compounds or causes compounds
    to break down. Electrolysis is the chemical change that occurs when an electric current
    passes through solutions or molten compounds.

    When a metal key is to be coated with copper,


    Copper is connected to the positive terminal of the battery while the metal key is
    connected to the negative terminal of the battery.

    ● Explain what is meant by power, relate it to an output of an electrical system and


    state its S.I. unit
    The power of an electric appliance is the amount of electrical energy (J) that the appliance
    converts to other forms of energy in one second.
    *contextualise the answer- how much energy, what are the other forms of energy.
    eg. The electrical kettle converts 1600J of electrical energy into thermal energy in 1 second.

    SI unit of power: Watt, W


    SI unit of energy: Joule, J

    One kilowatt hour (1kWh) is the amount of electrical energy consumed by 1kWh appliance in
    one hour.

    ● Solve simple problems on the cost of using electrical appliances, using kilowatt-hour
    as a unit of electrical energy consumption
    ● State how changes made to an electrical system can cause some electrical hazards.

    3-pin plug
    - live wire: brown; neutral wire: blue; earth wire: green/yellow
    - The earth wire provides a path of low electrical resistance and is connected to
    the ground to prevent the user from electric shock when touching or using a
    faulty appliance which results in the live wire touching the metal casing, by
    being connected to the metal casing and carrying leakage current from the
    metal casing of any faulty appliance away to the earth.

    Fuse
    - Due to an electrical fault in the appliance, the current that flows through the appliance
    is larger than the current rating of its fuse. The heating effect of the electric current
    causes a thin wire in the fuse to heat up and melt. This causes the fuse to be blown
    and the circuit would then to open. Therefore, no current is able to flow through the
    appliance.
    - After the electrical fault is rectified, the blown fuse needs to be replaced
    before the appliance can be used again.

    When the current flowing through the live wire exceeds the rated value, the heating effect of
    the electric current causes the thin wire in the fuse to heat up and melt, resulting in the fuse
    being blown. Thus, this opens the circuit and no current can flow through the appliance.

    - Prevents overheating & overcurrent in circuit due to overloading/short circuits


    RCCB (Residual Current Circuit Breakers)
    - When the current flowing the circuit exceeds the rated value due to faulty electrical
    appliances, the switch linked to the appliance trips and breaks the circuit to become
    an open circuit, preventing current from flowing through the appliance. This prevents
    electric shocks & electrical fires.

    ● State some precautionary measures to ensure the safe use of electricity in the home

    Electric shocks and electrocution


    Electrocution occurs when a person is injured/killed by a large current passing through the
    body.
    ➢ Frayed and damaged wires
    ○ The insulation around the wire is damaged or worn out, hence when a person
    touches the bare live wire, electric current flows through the body, resulting in
    an electric shock
    ➢ Earth wire of appliance is not properly connected
    ○ The earth wire of appliance is not properly connected to ground/body of
    appliance
    ➢ Wet conditions
    ○ As water can conduct electricity, when a person touches a damaged
    wire/appliance with wet hands, electric current flows through the body,
    resulting in an electric shock

    Electrical fires

    ➢ Short circuit
    ○ Due to broken and bare wires in the circuit, the live wire touches the neutral
    wire, providing a shorter path of low resistance for the current to flow through.
    This results in a large current with no resistance flowing through the circuit,
    causing the wires to overheat and may start a fire.

    ➢ Overloading
    ○ When too many electrical appliances are connected to the same output
    socket using an electrical adaptor, a large current flows in the house wiring as
    the circuit is overloaded. Thus, the wires overheat and may cause a fire in the
    housing wiring or adaptor.

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