Title: Electricity and Electrical Circuits January 16, 2007

REVIEW DEFINITION! 1. 1.Definition: Electrical Energy— energy from wall outlets, batteries…

2. Electric currents flow through things called conductors.  Metals such as copper, aluminum, and silver are good conductors.

Electricity also flows through water (remember our cells have water). Electricity also flows through water (remember our cells have water).

3. Insulators are things that electricity does not flow through well.  Examples: plastic, rubber, glass, air, and wood.

4. Quick Question: You are in the middle of a field during a lightning storm. What kind of pole would you want to hold in the air to get struck by lightning? a.Wooden pole b.Metal pole c.Rubber pole d.Plastic pole

5. Definition: Electric Circuit.  An electric circuit is the path that an electric current (electricity) follows.

6. ALL circuits have at least 3 parts:  Power source (battery)  A conductor (wire)  Something that uses electricity (light bulb)

7. Quick Question: What 3 parts of a circuit are shown below? + -

Day 2: Circuits

8. Simple Circuits are circuits that have only the 3 main parts. + -

Simple Circuit with a Switch + -

***SPECIAL NOTE*** 9. A Circuit MUST BE continuous (no gaps) for it to light things.

Day 3: Types of Circuits

10. There are 2 main types of circuits:  Series Circuits  Parallel Circuits

Series Circuits— if you remove any part a gap is made and it stops working. Series Circuits— if you remove any part a gap is made and it stops working. + -

Parallel Circuits— if you remove one part of the circuit, it will still work because electricity can still move through other parts. Parallel Circuits— if you remove one part of the circuit, it will still work because electricity can still move through other parts. + -