The third prong on a plug The third prong on a plug is a ground wire (neutral wire) It actually grounds the device, instead of being used to pull current through It is there to prevent any build up of static charge that may occur or in case of a short in the device prevent it from electrocuting you

Alternating current This side is ground for the circuit This side is “hot” constantly flipping between positive and negative This is ground for the device In this case the current, goes one direction and then switches (so it just sways back and forth)

Diagram of electrons in a wire Each electron is repelling one another, and there is an electric field surrounding it where this force is felt If a voltage source is hooked up The negative repels the nearest electron Which move a little and repels the next electron Which moves a little and repels the next…etc Wire ~blue dots represent free electrons -+

Direct Current circuit In a DC circuit, electrons must constantly be provided at one terminal and removed at the other. This is done through electrochemistry and redox reactions Wet cell battery negative terminal Electrolytic soln. Normally an acid At the negative terminal reduction is occurring (more negative) at the positive terminal oxidation is occurring (more positive) positive terminal

Alternating current Electrons never actually move through an alternating circuit. So electrons aren’t continually supplied or removed. They move forward a little bit, then they move back. ~like a wave

Amount of current The amount of current that is moving is measured in amperes (amps). ~symbol-A

Danger High Voltage Voltage relates to the speed of the moving charge. High voltages sources (although painful) won’t kill a normal person (without high amperage). Stun guns, electric fences It’s the amount of charge (amperage) going though your body that can kill you. Amperage

Amperage levels.001 A -can be felt.005 A -Painful.010 A -causes involuntary muscle contractions.015 A -loss of muscle control.070 A -causes death (through the heart)

Resistance Current needs a conductive path to follow to flow. Work is done when the current passes through a resistor. resistor-something that resists the flow of current. Resistance is measured in Ohms (  )

Simple circuit (+) (-) Current flows through the wire Hits a resistor here (the filament) It glows (luminesces) from the friction in the resistor And continues on its path. *current is drawn the way a (+) particle would move