Electricity

Name all the things that you can think of that need electricity to run. Make a huge list as you consider things at home, school, and in the community. 

A number of scientists contributed to our understanding of electricity: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Joseph Swan, George Westinghouse, Nikola Tesla and others. Create a game that matches inventions or discoveries with the correct scientist.

Write a opinion piece about the most important electrical appliance in your house. Provide extensive detail to support your choice. 

Using scientific vocabulary, explain the difference between series and parallel circuits. Create diagrams to illustrate each.

Count the pieces of equipment in your classroom that need electricity.

Set up an experiment using various small batteries, wire and small light bulbs, such as might be done in a science class.  Start them all at the same time. Time how long the batteries last. Make a table showing the battery life.

Research the current rate charged for power in your area. Calculate the cost of electricity for a home that uses 700 kilowatt hours of power per month. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2022 the average household used 889 kilowatt hours per month. How much money would be saved if homeowners cut back to 700 kilowatt hours?

Things that people do can affect the world around them. People can reduce their effects on the land, water, air, and other living things.

Electric and magnetic forces between a pair of objects do not require that the objects be in contact. The sizes of the forces in each situation depend on the properties of the objects and their distances apart. An example of static electricity force could include the force on hair from an
electrically charged balloon.

Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. Energy can be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy.

Examples of devices could include electric circuits that convert electrical energy into motion energy of a vehicle, light, or sound. Devices should be limited to those that convert motion energy to electric energy or use stored energy to cause motion or produce light or sound. The expression “produce energy” typically refers to the conversion of stored energy into a desired form for practical use. Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account. 

Digitized information can be transmitted over long distances without significant degradation. Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints.

Energy and fuels that are modified from natural sources affect the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not. Examples of renewable energy resources could include wind energy, water behind dams, and sunlight; non-renewable energy resources are fossil fuels and atomic energy. Examples of environmental effects could include biological effects from moving parts, erosion, change of habitat, and pollution.

Matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see, but even then, the matter still exists and can be detected by other means.

Substances are made from different types of atoms, which combine with one another in various ways. Atoms form molecules that range in size from two to thousands of atoms. Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity.

Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. . Examples of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the speed of an electric motor.  Electric and magnetic (electromagnetic) forces can be attractive or repulsive, and their sizes depend on the magnitudes of the charges, currents, or magnetic strengths involved, and on the distances between the interacting objects.

Forces that act at a distance (electric, magnetic, and gravitational) can be explained by fields that extend through space and can be mapped by their effect on a test object (a charged object.)  Examples of this phenomenon could include the interactions of electrically charged strips of tape, and electrically charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations

A system of objects may also contain stored (potential) energy, depending on their relative positions. When two objects interact, each one exerts a force on the other that can cause energy to be transferred to or from the object. Examples of objects within systems interacting at varying distances could include a balloon with static electrical charge being brought closer to a classmate’s hair.

Digitized signals (sent as wave pulses) are a reliable way to encode and transmit information. Emphasis is on a basic understanding that waves can be used for communication purposes. Examples could include using fiber optic cable to transmit light pulses, radio wave pulses in WIFI devices, and conversion of stored binary patterns to make sound or text on a computer screen.

Human activities can positively and negatively influence the biosphere, sometimes altering natural habitats and ecosystems. Technology and engineering can potentially help us best manage natural resources as populations increase. Examples of the design process include examining human interactions and designing feasible solutions that promote stewardship. Examples can include water usage (such as stream and river use, aquifer recharge, or dams and levee construction); land usage (such as urban development, agriculture, wetland benefits, stream reclamation, or fire restoration); and pollution (such as of the air, water, or land).