Static electricity
What kind of charge does a proton have?
A positive charge.
Inside each atom (but not in the nucleus) is a smaller part called what?
Electrons
What is an electric current? What are the units?
Current is the steady flow of electricity through charges. The units is amperes (amps).
Describe what a series circuit consist of.
A circuit that has only one path for the current.
How much voltage is given from an Australian Powerpoint?
240 V
What two parts attract each other?
Positive and negative.
What is an insulator? Name some examples.
An insulator is a material that current cannot pass through easily.
Examples include Carbon, plastic, rubber...
answers may vary
When drawing a scientific diagram of a circuit, what type of line is used to represent the positive and negative ends of a cell?
Short line for negative
Long line for positive.
Describe what happens when you remove a lightbulb from a series circuit.
The circuit will disconnect and all the other devices will not work.
What does Ohm's Law state?
Voltage equals current times resistance (V = I × R).
What is static electricity?
A charge that stays on an object.
What is a conductor? What is an example of a conductor?
A conductor is a material that current can pass through easily.
Examples: Copper, gold, silver...
Answers may vary (must be metals)
In a circuit, a voltmeter is connected ____ and an ammeter is connected ____.
In a circuit, a voltmeter is connected parallel and an ammeter is connected in series.
How does voltage and current behave in a parallel circuit?
The voltage stays the same as the source. The current splits and flows through each parallel branch.
Describe how we will know an object has followed ohm's law.
If an object follows ohm's law, the voltage will increase linearly with an increase in current if resistance remains constant.
Describe what it means by inducing charge in an object.
Charging by induction causes the rearrangement of ELECTRONS on a NEUTRAL object caused by a nearby charged object.
Are household circuits wired in parallel or in series? Explain your answer.
Household circuits are usually wired in parallel.
This is so devices can operate independently and get full voltage.
How does electric current move within a circuit?
Electric current moves from HIGHER voltage to LOWER voltage
Describe how does voltage and current behave in a series circuit.
In a series circuit, voltage is divided among components, while the current remains the same throughout the entire circuit.
Describe how a short circuit works and what could happen during a short circuit.
A short circuit leads to excessive current flow due to a low-resistance path. This could possibly be caused by a wire bypassing a load or an unintended path has much lower resistance than a normal circuit.
During a short circuit, some consequences include overheating, fires, equipment damage, and activation of circuit protection devices.
Describe how lightning works.
Lightning strikes occur when positive charges at the ground attract negative charges at the bottom of a storm cloud.
Describe the difference between static electricity and current electricity?
Static electricity is the buildup of electric charge on the surface of an object, while current electricity is the flow of electric charge through a conductor.
How does light bulb brightness differ between series and parallel circuits?
In a series circuit, the brightness of each light bulb is reduced because the total voltage is shared across all bulbs, and the current is the same throughout.
In a parallel circuit, each bulb receives the full voltage, so the bulbs are brighter compared to those in series, and each bulb operates independently.
There are two branches in a circuit: Branch A has one light bulb, Branch B has two light bulbs. Describe what would happen if the light bulb on Branch A goes out?
Describe the difference between a circuit breaker and a fuse. How do they work and where can we find them?
When a circuit is overloaded with current, it triggers an electromechanical mechanism in a circuit breaker. Circuit breakers reset after a short circuit is made and can be reused. We can find them in electrical panels of modern homes.
A fuse melts its wire to break the circuit during an overload and must be replaced. Therefore, they are often single-use devices. They can be found in cars, appliances and older homes.