1. From Energy to Electricity --- Understanding How Electricity Works
Catherine Walker American Public University

2. What is energy? Energy is the ability to do work.
In fact, whenever something moves, heats, cools, grows, changes or produces light or sound, energy is involved.
Energy is the power to change things.

3. Static vs. Current There are two kinds of electricity:
Static electricity
Imbalance of positively and negatively charged atoms.
Electrons jump from atom to atom, releasing energy.
Two examples of static electricity are lightning and rubbing your feet on the carpet and then touching a doorknob.

4. Static vs. Current There are two kinds of electricity:
Current electricity
Constant flow of electrons.
Two kinds of current electricity: direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC).
Direct current: electricity the electrons move in one direction. Batteries produce direct current.
Alternating current: electrons flow in both directions. Power plants produce AC electric current.

5. Primary Sources of Energy

6. The Basics of Generating Electricity

7. How Electricity Travels

8. Electricity
Electricity is a secondary source of energy. That means that we must use other energy sources to make electricity.
What are the three primary energy sources used in the U.S. to generate electricity?

9. http://www. energy. ca. gov/maps/powerplants/Power_Plants_Statewide

10. California's Generation Mix (2008)

11. What else around your home requires electricity to operate?
In your home, electricity runs the lights, television, toaster, and more.
What else around your home requires electricity to operate?
Lamp:
TV:
Toaster:

12. It’s easy to see what electricity does for us, but how does electricity really work?

13. A Complete Electrical Circuit
For electricity to work, you need a complete circuit.
A complete a circuit is made up of three things:
A source of electrons.
Something to use the electrons.
A path for the electrons to move.

14. Video: discoveryeducation.com

15. Can you detect the three things that make up a complete circuit?
Current Electricity
Can you detect the three things that make up a complete circuit?
A source of electrons.
Something to use the electrons.
A path for the electrons to use.

16. A bit more about electrons

17. The wire in an electrical circuit is made of atoms
The wire in an electrical circuit is made of atoms. Atoms contain electrons.
Electrons move from one atom to another. When electrons move between atoms, a current of electricity is created.
Atom model:
Flow of electrons:

18. Demonstration of how electrons move from atom to atom.

19. A Working Circuit
Video: discoveryeducation.com

20. Label Your Diagram
Building a Circuit
Self-drawn

21. Here is What We Will Build
Circuit:

22. Build an Electric Circuit

23. How Our Electric Circuit Compares to Your House

24. An Electrical Circuit in Your Home
Self-drawn
Do you see two complete circuits?

25. Conductors and Insulators
These are materials in which it is easy to get electrons to move and provide a flow of electric current.
Paperclip
Piece of copper
A bolt
Insulators
These are materials in which it is difficult
to get current
to flow.
Paper
Plastic
Styrofoam
What do conductors have in common?