Science 9 NAME: Assessment: Designing an Electric Circuit (Wiring a House) Project Content: Series and Parallel Circuits Competency/Criteria Questioning and Predicting: Things you need to do to fully demonstrate your understanding ● Asks follow up questions about how houses are wired - Makes and records accurate and precise observations Proficiency Extending Proficient Developing -Asks a testable question that can be answered through scientific inquiry Applying and Innovating: -Transfer and apply learning to new situations Emerging ● Divide the total amperage up and label the amperage of individual circuits Extending ● Label circuits as either 120 V or 240 V (depending on energy need) Developing Proficient Emerging ● Determine what circuits are close to being overloaded Communication: - Creates an effective model to describe a phenomenon ● Create a diagram of a home (with all the minimum requirements) and label each room and electric load Extending Proficient Developing ● Draw circuits to all electric loads (and label each circuit) ● Add parallel circuits around electrical loads and clearly show where circuits branch off to parallel circuits Emerging Wiring a House: Create a blueprint of your single-story dream house showing electric circuits At minimum the diagram of the house must include: -Front entrance -Living room/tv area -Kitchen (with fridge and stove) -Hallways -3 bedrooms -2 bathrooms (with a fan) -Garage -Hot water tank -Baseboard heaters or furnace or gas fireplace -Laundry area (with washer and dryer) -Outdoor outlets and doorbell -Lights, light switches, and outlets in all rooms After you’ve created your house blueprint add in the electrical circuits. When adding electrical circuits: -Include the line from the city (either underground or through power lines) to the main breaker box -Multiple circuits running from the main breaker box to areas of the house (make each circuit a different colour and have a legend in the corner of your blueprint) -Parallel circuits going around each electrical load -Mini circuits connecting each switch to it’s light bulb After you’ve added in your electrical circuits decide how the electricity will be split up -A house this size may have 200 amp service. Split your 200 amps up between all your circuits (label each circuit coming out of the breaker box) -Circuits with large electrical loads use 240 Volts. Circuits with normal electrical loads use 120 V. Label each circuit as 120 V or 240 V -Remember not to include too many things on one circuit (you don’t want the current to be too high and trip the breaker) After completing your design, what are some questions you have about how houses are wired? Extending: Research the average wattage of every appliance and light you have and list them below: Appliance Wattage Could your circuit handle it if they were all turned on? Add up the wattage of every load on the circuit, then divide by the voltage of the circuit to get the amperage. Is the amperage larger than 80% of the breaker? What circuits would be close to the breaker tripping if you plugged in additional loads to outlets?
