 | Electricity is all around us, being present in many of the devices we use every day and in the lightning that periodically accompanies strong storms.
How does electricity work?
In this chapter, you will learn the basics of electricity and circuits.
Electricity and electric current are the flow of electric charges through a material such as a conductor.
Electrical insulators, such as plastic or glass, prevent the flow of electricity.
Simple electrical circuits contain wires, batteries, bulbs, resistors, and switches. Devices in circuits can be connected in series or in parallel.
The current through a circuit is proportional to the voltage across it and inversely proportional to its resistance.
Household circuits are generally connected in parallel, carry alternating current, and contain fuses or circuit breakers.
|  | | By the end of this chapter you should be able to
|  | distinguish between conductors and insulators based on their electrical properties;
| | read and draw simple circuit diagrams;
| | design and construct circuits with elements connected in series and parallel;
| | calculate the current through, potential difference across, resistance of, and power used by circuit elements connected in series and parallel;
| | use a digital multimeter or its equivalent to measure current, voltage, and resistance; and
| | describe basic properties and components of the wiring system in a house.
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|  | 17A: Circuits and breadboards
17B: Connecting batteries together
Design project: Lemon battery
17C: Resistors and Ohm’s law
17D: Series and parallel circuits
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