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Electric Circuits Deconstruct, I1 - Coggle Diagram
Electric Circuits Deconstruct
Aspects of a circuit
batteries
- various energy capacity measured in volts
lightbulbs
- electrical component that transforms electrical energy to light
ammeter
- measures the electric current through a circuit in amperes
voltmeter
- measures the electrical potential in volts
wires
- different lengths, materials & cross sectional area
Types of circuits
Parallel Circuit
- an electric circuit where components are attached to the same battery. This results in multiple paths for current flow of different values but each path has the same potential difference.
Series Circuit
- an electric circuit where components run along a single path. In this circuit, the current through each component stays the same but the voltage drops.
Definitions
Potential Difference
- Potential difference, also known as voltage, is the amount of potential energy per unit of charge between 2 points in a circuit.
Current
- The flow of the charge of electrons in a circuit
Resistance
- the measure of the opposition of electrical current flow, measured in ohms. It determines how much a material resists the movement of electrons through a circuit
Topics of investigation
How many lightbulbs can be attached to a circuit while maximising efficiency?
- add lightbulbs until the brightness or calculated efficiency significantly drops
includes electric power and energy efficiency formulas
take into account and measure voltage, current
real life applications - creating lighting systems in housing and commercial buildings, smart lighting solutions to minimise energy use
Aim - To find the maximum number of lightbulbs that can be added to a circuit while maintaining peak efficiency.
Independant variable - number of lightbulbs, Dependant variable - the efficiency of the circuit
Test Ohm's law
- change the amount of voltage and observe how the current changes and the resistance stays constant
Aim - Observe and evaluate how the amount of voltage affects the current in a circuit.
Independant variable - amount of voltage, dependant variable - change in current
Compare results to the expected results according to Ohm's law
Length of Wire
- investigate how the length of a wire affects the resistance in a circuit
use the equation R = pL/A where 'R' is resistance, 'p' is resistivity, 'L' is length and 'A' is area.
Aim - Determine the length of wire that creates the least resistance in a circuit.
Independant variable - length of wire, dependant variable - the amount of resistance
Useful Equations
Electric Power
- the rate at which energy is transformed by a load in an eletric circuit.
P = VI where 'P' is power, 'V' is potential difference and 'I' is current.
Energy Efficiency
- The measure of how effectively energy is transformed. It is calculated as the ratio of useful output energy to total input energy and results in a percentage value.
efficiency = (useful output energy/ total input energy) x 100
Ohm's Law
- the current in a conductor is inversely proportional to it's resistance when potential difference is constant
V = IR where 'V' is potential difference, 'I' is current and 'R' is resistance
Kirchoffs Current Law
- The total current into a junction must equal the total current out of the junction
Power
- the rate at which energy is transformed or transferred
P = W or E / t where 'P' is power, 'W' is work done, 'E' is energy transformed and 't' is time
Kirchoff's Voltage Law
- The sum of all potential differences across the load is equal to the sum of all potential difference supplying the loads
I1