1. Children’s Engineering Energy and Electricity
Bringing
Children’s Engineering
to the Elementary Classrooms
Unit #10
Energy and Electricity
Created by Miss Kelley Davis
Page County Public Schools Division-Wide STEM Coach

2. Energy and Electricity

3. What is energy? It is the ability to do work or produce change.
People get energy from food.
Things get energy from electricity.

4. We depend on energy to survive!
It is all around us...
radiant
gravitational
chemical
thermal
mechanical
electrical
nuclear

5. Some usable sources of energy include...
sunlight
fuels of all types
wind
water
and even poo!!!
Coal is our biggest source of energy!

6. Energy can change forms...
For example: A battery powered robot that sweeps floors.
Chemical energy in the battery
produces electrical energy in the
wires which converts to mechanical
energy in the moving parts of the
robot and radiant energy in the
light...whew!

7. Energy can be present BUT may not be working at all times.
Kinetic Energy versus Potential Energy
(energy in motion) (energy that is still)

8. Electricity is a secondary energy source.
Now on to Electricity!!!
Electricity is a secondary energy source.
This means is comes from the conversion of a primary energy source like:
solar
oil
coal
natural gas
nuclear
chemical reaction

9. A Timeline of Electricity
Ben Franklin...NO, he did not invent
electricity. BUT he did learn that
lightning IS electricity.
James Watt...discovered how to measure an electrical unit of power. The “watt” is the amount of power something uses.
Alessandro Volta...determined that a “volt” is a unit of measurement for electricity. He also invented the 1st battery.

10. A Timeline of Electricity
Andre Marie Ampere...figured out how
to measure electric currents. It is called
“amps.”
George Ohm...created Ohm’s Law which states the amount of electrical current that flows through a substance depends on its resistance to electric flow.
Michael Faraday...realized if you move a magnet near a coil of copper wire, it produces an electric current in the wire.

11. A Timeline of Electricity
Henry Woodward was actual the 1st
person to “almost” create a light bulb.
*put a metal rod in a glass bulb
*forced air out of the bulb & replace with nitrogen
*rod glowed when electric current passed through
***but he ran out of money to continue research
***sold the patent to Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison...finished Henry’s idea.
*attached wire to thin paper (filament)
*the filament glowed
*later replaced filament with thin iron wire
The 1st incandescent light bulb was created.

12. A Timeline of Electricity
Nikola Tesla...created the 1st
electric motor (machine to
convert energy to motion/power)
Sir Adam Beck...was a Canadian who believed private companies charged folks too much for electricity. He created the Hydro-Electric Power Commission in He set up generating stations with transmission lines to carry power from Niagra Falls.
*He was “The Hydro Knight!”

13. Time for some Freaky Facts about Electricity
Electricity travels at the speed of light (more than 186,00 miles per second
Electricity can be made from wind, water, sun, and even animal poop!!!
Electric eels produce an electric shock around 500 volts for self defense and hunting
Muscle cells in the heart are contracted by electricity going through your heart
If you had a light bulb on the moon connected to a switch in your room, it would take only 1.26 seconds for that bulb to light up.
If you traveled as fast as electricity, you could go around the world 8 times in the SAME amount of time it takes to turn on a light switch!

14. How does electricity get into your house???
1. Electricity is made at power plants by generators. They use coal (most often), natural gas, water, or wind.
2. The current then goes through transformers to increase the voltage to help it travel long distances.
3. Next, the electrical charge goes through high-voltage transmissions lines.

15. How does electricity get into your house???
4. When it reaches the substation, the voltage is lowered so it can travel through the smaller power lines.
5. Next it goes through the distribution lines to your neighborhood where it moves through the smaller pole-top transformers. They lower the voltage to make it safe to enter your home.
6. Onward to the meter on the outside of your house.

16. How does electricity get into your house???
7. Next, it goes to the service panel in your basement with breakers & fuses to protect your home from an overload.
8. In the end, it reaches the switches and outlets in your home by traveling from the service panel through all the wires hiding in your walls.

17. Important Vocabulary
electricity = the flow of electrons from one atom to another
conductor = a substance that allows electric current to pass through it
insulator = a substance that does not allow electricity to pass through it
circuit = an electric device that provides a path for electric current to flow
open circuit
closed circuit
current = the flow of electricity in an electric circuit
energy = the ability to do work
power = the energy used to do work
charge = the amount of energy an object contains
fuse = a protective device that melts or breaks when a current is too strong
switch = a mechanical device used to turn a current on or off in an electric circuit
AC = alternating current = electrons change/reverse direction many times per second = found in homes
DC = direct current = electrons move in on direction = found in batteries

18. UUUUUggggghhhhh, back to high school science class!!!
An atom is the smallest of all particles.
The nucleus (center) is made up of protons (+) and neutrons (neutral).
The electrons (-) move quickly around the nucleus
This quick movement is what makes the energy in electricity!

19. The electric current moves through the conductor.
The insulator keeps the electricity inside, away from you!!!

20. 1st bulb with the filament (paper strip)
2nd bulb with the wire instead of paper