Lesson 6.1 What is Electricity?
Preface
This lesson is an introduction to basic electricity. It is assumed that you have no prior exposure to
the concepts addressed. The power provided through electricity is a part of your everyday lives,
but you may or may not have considered where it comes from, why it works or how it is produced
and transmitted. Few people could imagine life without it. You might consider something like a
camping trip to be life without electricity. Upon further investigation, though, you would discover
the role of electricity in preparing for the trip and in the materials you might pack. Following this
lesson, you will learn about some basic electronic components and digital electronics.
Concepts
1. As engineers design electrical systems, they must understand a material’s tendency toward
being a conductor or insulator.
2. Electron flow is created as electrons are transferred between atoms.
3. Current, voltage, and resistance are measurable quantities that are used to explain electron
flow in an electrical system.
4. Generators are used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, while motors convert
electrical energy into mechanical energy.
5. Magnets play an important role in creating electromotive force which is used to make and
convert electricity.
Performance Objectives
It is expected that you will:
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Identify the roles of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom.
Identify an element based on the atomic number.
Identify metals, metalloids, and non-metals on the periodic table.
Judge whether a material is a conductor, insulator, or semiconductor based upon its
number of valance electrons and its position on the periodic table.
Explain how the Law of Charges holds an atom together.
Explain how electrons transfer from one atom to another to create electron flow.
Define current, voltage, and resistance.
Measure voltage and current using a multimeter.
Understand the properties of a magnet.
Build an electromagnet to demonstrate its characteristics and functions.
Build a DC motor to identify the primary parts and demonstrate how it functions.
Build a generator to identify the primary parts and demonstrate how it functions.
Understand the role of an electromagnet in the function of a DC motor and generator.
Compare the characteristics of a basic motor and generator.
Assessment
Explanation
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You will create an analogy other than the provided water analogy to explain the relationship
between current, voltage, and resistance.
Self-knowledge
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You will journal about what it would be like to be somewhere in the world without electricity.
You must decide what you most value which requires electricity.
Essential Questions
1. Why are some materials good at conducting electricity and some are not?
2. How do electricians measure electricity values?
3. How are motors and generators the same? Different?
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2011
GTT – Unit 6 – Lesson 6.1 – What is Electricity? – Page 1
Key Terms
Ampere (A)
Anode
Armature
Atom
Atomic Number
Battery
Cathode
Circuit
Commutator
Conductor
Continuity
Coulomb
Current
Direct Current (DC)
Electromagnet
Electron
Electron Theory
Element
Field Magnet
Generator
Insulator
LED
Magnet
Matter
Molecule
Motor
Multimeter
Neutron
Nucleus
Proton
Resistance (R)
Semiconductors
Static Electricity
Valence Electrons
Voltage
A unit of measure of the rate of current flow. One ampere equals one
coulomb per second.
The positively charged structure within a voltaic cell.
The rotating part of an electrical generator.
The smallest part of an element that contains all of the properties of that
element.
The atomic number is equal to the number of protons (positively charged
particles) in the nucleus of an atom.
A device used to convert chemical energy into electric energy. A group of
voltaic cells connected together in a series or parallel connection.
The negatively charged structure within a voltaic cell.
An electrical path between two points.
Strips or bars of metal insulated from each other and arranged around one
end of an armature. Used to flip the flow of electricity, so positive becomes
negative and negative becomes positive.
A device or material that permits current to flow through it easily.
The continuous flow through a component or an entire circuit.
6.25 x 1024 electrons
A flow of electric charge.
Current that does not reverse its direction of flow.
Magnet created by passing a current through a coil of wire.
A negatively charged particle.
Electrons flow from a negative point to a positive point.
The simplest form of matter.
Permanent magnets, arranged outside the armature.
A device used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
A material used to electrically isolate two conductive surfaces.
A Light Emitting Diode.
An object that is surrounded by a magnetic field and that has the property,
either natural or induced, of attracting iron or steel.
Anything that occupies space.
The smallest part of a compound that is made of individual atoms.
A device used to convert electric energy into mechanical energy.
An instrument for measuring the properties of an electrical circuit.
An uncharged atomic particle.
The center portion of an atom containing the protons and neutrons.
A positively charged atomic particle.
The opposition of current flow.
A material that is both a poor conductor and a poor insulator.
An accumulation of electric charge on an insulated body.
The outermost ring of electrons in an atom. Used to determine whether an
element is an insulator, conductor or semiconductor.
The force behind the movement of electrons.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2011
GTT – Unit 6 – Lesson 6.1 – What is Electricity? – Page 2