Depth Charge
Voltaic Crusher
Short Circuit
The Magnetic Zeroes
Electro-Mag Grab Bag
100
What is an electric field?
An area around an electric charge that can exert an electric force.
100
What do amperes measure?
Current
100
Why are switches useful in a circuit?
They allow you to turn a circuit on and off easily.
100
Explain how North and South poles on magnets interact.
North and North poles will repel. North and South poles will attract. South and South poles will repel.
100
Zap! You just got shocked! Why is this NOT an example of static electricity?
Static electricity occurs when charged objects do NOT pass charges between them. This results in objects being attracted to each other.


In this case, electrons are moving from one object to another. This is an example of electric discharge.
200
What will cause an electric force to become greater?
If the charges move closer together or if the charges are bigger in size.
200
What are the parts of a cell/battery and how do they work together?
Electrodes and electrolytes are the parts of a cell. The electrolytes is a conductive chemical that reacts with the electrodes. One electrode becomes more positive, the other more negative. The negative charges flow from one electrode to another.
200
Name the three essential parts of a circuit.
The wires, loads, and power source.
200
What makes a material like iron able to be magnetized, but not plastic?
The domains inside of iron can be aligned using another magnet. This makes the iron a temporary magnet.
200
Explain how plastic wrap works so that it sticks to the bowl.
*Hint: Think about what happened when we pulled two pieces of tape apart.
When the plastic wrap is unrolled, it pulls off electrons and becomes negatively charged. This INDUCES a charge on the surface of the bowl because even though the bowl is neutrally charged, the negative charges move away from the plastic wrap which makes the area closest to the plastic wrap positively charged.

The picture above shows how the negative charges move away from the charged object on the left.
300
Which particles move during an electric discharge? From where to where do they move?
Electrons are the particles that move in an electric discharge. They move from a negatively charged region to a positively charged region.
300
What makes a larger current, a 1.5 V battery or a 12V battery assuming that the resistance is the same?
A 12 V battery because there is more potential difference, there will be a larger current according to Ohm's Law.
300
What is the difference between a fuse and circuit breaker?
A fuse has a thin piece of metal that melts if the current is too high. They must be replaced. A circuit breaker has a piece of metal that bends away to open the circuit. The circuit breaker can be reset without replacing the entire thing.
300
What can you infer about the poles on a horseshoe-shaped magnet based on the magnetic field lines?
The ends of the horseshoe magnet have opposite poles. You can see the magnetic field lines connect and this shows the attraction between the north and south poles of the magnet.
300
Watch this video:

Explain how an aurora formed and why they are most often seen at the North and South pole.
*As a side note: A solar flare is a sudden brightening on the sun's surface. It releases a lot of charged particles.
Charged particles from the sun interact with the oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the Earth's atmosphere and produce different colors of light.
The reason why we often seen auroras at the poles is that the magnetic field bends inward at the poles. This allows more charged particles through the magnetic field and they are able to hit the atmosphere.
400
How do lightning rods work to protect people?
Lightning rods are conductors that attract lightning. They are connected the ground through a wire so when lightning strikes, the electric discharge is sent into the ground. They are positioned to be higher than surrounding surfaces so that lightning will mostly likely strike it first.
400
What must the electrodes have in order to create an electric current? From which electrode do the electrons flow from and to?
There must be a potential difference. One electrode must be positively charged (anode) and the other electrode negatively charged (cathode). The electrons flow from the cathode to the anode.
400
What is one advantage of a series circuit and one advantage of a parallel circuit?
Series: Batteries in series can increase the voltage. One switch can shut off all of the loads. Parallel: Each load can be turned on/off without affecting the other loads.
400
Why does placing a strong magnet near a compass needle sometimes result in demagnetizing the needle or reversing the N/S poles?
The magnetic field of the strong magnet causes the domains inside the compass needle to become rearranged. Now the compass needle is no longer aligned with the magnetic field of the Earth, but the magnetic field of the strong magnet.
400
A defective toaster may blow your house fuse if it has short circuit in it. But what happens if you add a light bulb to the same circuit:
    1) When it is plugged in, will it sometimes, never, or always blow the fuse?
    2) Will the toaster be able to work?
It will never blow the fuse because now the current will flow through the lightbulb which acts as a resistor (electrons flowing through the filament in the lightbulb runs into friction.) Now the current has been slowed down so that the fuse doesn't blow.
The toaster will still work, but since the current has been slowed down by the light bulb, it will not get as hot as before.
M
e
n
u