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Electricity Facts
Electricity Facts
ity
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made easy
.
What is.
.
electricity?
ther atom.
electrons from one atom to ano
Electricity is the flow of energy, or
al, food,
everything around us, such as met
Atoms are the building blocks of
r eyes, but
you
with
too small for you to see
fabric even you! These atoms are
ial microscopes.
scientists can see them with spec
or
smaller particles including a centre
Atoms and cells are made up of even
and
ons,
prot
d
calle
itively charged particles
nucleus. The nucleus contains pos
ged
char
ly
ative
s. Atoms also include neg
uncharged particles called neutron
the
quickly around the nucleus just like
spin
h
particles called electrons, whic
moon around the earth.
trons that
h make up metal or wire, have elec
Some kinds of atoms, like those whic
happens,
this
n
Whe
ther when they are charged.
flow easily from one atom to ano
erated, creating electricity!
a current or flow of energy is gen
.
d
e
r
e
v
o
c
is
d
o
h
W . .
electricity?
1769
16th Century
Dr William Gilbert proves
many substances are
electric and magnetic,
not just amber.
1820s
1752
Benjamin Franklin flies a kite in
a thunderstorm and proves that
the electric spark from amber is
the same thing as lightning. The
lightning strike that proves this
nearly kills him!
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1792
Alessandro Volta discovers
that an electric current can be
created when two metals touch.
He invents the electric battery
and the word Volt is named
after him.
1879
1831
Michael Faraday invents
the first electric generator.
eek
The Gr r
o
word f
is
r
e
b
am
n
o
r
t
c
ele
. .
Electricity down under
using electricity.
Australia was very quick to start
a novelty to something
Heres how it went from being
we cant imagine life without!
1863
1894
1888
1904
1927
Today
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.
..
How is electricity made?
Most families get their electricity from a power station.
in giant magnets. The
At each power station, there is a huge coil of wire that spins around
more thousands
many
with
atoms,
of
ds
thousan
and
s
coil of wire is made up of hundred
flow quickly from
to
s
electron
the
cause
s
magnet
giant
the
of electrons. As the wire spins,
ty.
atom to atom, creating electrici
.
.
Gas-turbine power stations
Fuels are burned to create hot gases which go through a turbine,
which in turn makes the coil of wire spin and electrons flow.
.
Wind farms
Wind pushes against the turbine blades, causing a
rotor to turn, the coil of wire to spin, and the electrons
to flow.
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spin.
Different power stations use different methods to make the coil wire
those
get
to
built
have
people
stations
power
t
Here are a few differen
electrons flowing.
.
.
stations
power
lectric
Hydro-e
Flowing water (usually from a dam) pushes against the
turbine blades. This causes a rotor to turn, and the coil of
wire to spin, making the electrons flow.
.
ions
at
st
r
we
Nuclear po
.
Steam power stations
Fuels such as petroleum, gas, coal or biomass (e.g. wood,
rubbish) are burnt to heat water, creating steam which moves
through a turbine (like a big fan or rotor). The turbine makes
the coil of wire spin and the electrons flow, creating electricity.
.
Geothermal power stations
Deep wells are drilled into the ground to reach the layer of the earth
where rain water has soaked in and become really hot. Steam from
the hot water gushes out, going through a heat exchanger and then
a turbine, making the coil of wire spin and the electrons flow.
Solar energy
Solar energy can also be used to make
electricity. Solar energy comes from the
sun. There are two types of solar energy:
heat and light, and there are two ways of
collecting solar energy.
The first way is to collect or absorb heat from the sun to heat
fluid, usually water. Thermal collectors are used for this process,
and can be commonly found on the roof of homes as part of
solar hot water systems.
The second way is to use sunlight to make electricity. Solar
collectors used for this process are called Photovoltaic (PV) cells
(Photo = light, and voltaic = electricity). When the sun hits the
PV cell, the little particles of light excite the electrons in the
cell, and cause them to flow, generating electricity.
Frying fish
us electricus),
h.
l (Electrophor
ee
ic
tr
ec
ost electric fis
el
e
Th
the worlds m
is
a,
nh
ra
pi
e
a relative of th
, it lives in
(6ft) in length
8m
1.
to
up
and can stun
Measuring
the Guianas,
d
an
il
az
Br
of
650 volts
the rivers
shock of up to
ic
tr
ec
el
an
its prey with
bulb
ht an electric
enough to lig
t!
an adul
or stun a hum
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..
How does electricity
O
t
l
e
v
a
r
your home?
t
3
Electricity is created at
the power station
.
What isvolta
ge?
Voltage mea
ns electrical p
ressure. You
the pressure
can think of it
that pushes w
like
ater through
The higher th
a garden hose
e voltage, th
.
e
more electric
through a po
ity there is fl
werline.
owing
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5
Electricity travels to
smaller transformers
near your home
. . safely
. .
Living with
.
electricity
with it in
Electricity can be dangerous, especially if we come into contact
following
by
shock
ic
electr
an
g
ways we should not. You can prevent gettin
these simple safety rules:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Dont overcrowd
Dont plug too many appliances into the one socket because
it might overheat.
Emergencies
If you see someone get an electric shock, DO NOT touch them.
Youll get shocked too. Instead turn off the electricity at the switch,
unplug the appliance the person is touching,
and call 000.
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Safety rules
r
e
b
m
e
m
e
to r
.
outside
5
6 look up before climbing trees.
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Safety rules.remember
. to e
insid
5 t(soreatnoelectrica
knives in toasters for example!)
the number
6 ktoeepa minimu
m.
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How to
use le.s.s
electricity
Think of how much electricity you use in a day.
school, right
From your alarm clock waking you up, to your hot shower before
tly using
constan
youre
night,
at
show
through to watching your favourite TV
electricity.
Now think of everyone in the world using as much electricity
as you, every day. Thats a lot of electricity!
Thats why its important we save electricity wherever we can. By saving
electricity we can save money on our energy bill. And we can also
reduce pollution and other environmental problems, all helping to
make a difference.
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www.endeavou
renergy.com.au
r
u
o
y
d
a
e
r
o
t
w
Ho
..
electricity meter at home
Electricity use is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh).
1 kWh equals 1,000 watts of electricity used in
one hour.
to
To measure how much electricity your family is using, ask an adult
and
it,
of
front
in
directly
Stand
safe.
is
it
find the meter box and check
g!
anythin
touch
to
not
careful
very
start reading the dials. Be
s
Read each dial one at a time and write down the matching number
from right to left as you read them.
the
When a dial points between two numbers, write down the lower of
n
betwee
points
it
if
but
0,
down
two. If it points between 0 and 1, write
9 and 0, write down 9.
100
1000
10
10,000
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8
kW h
Are you an .
energenius?
u remember?
t electricity do yo
How much abou
officially
find out if you are
Take our quiz and
an Energenius!
Quiz Questions
?
6. What is voltage
ng solar energy?
o ways of collecti
7. What are the tw
s?
wer to our home
8. What carries po
are not touching
ctrocuted if you
9. Can you be ele
a powerline?
a?
energy a good ide
10.Why is saving
ber?
eek word for am
1. What is the Gr
the light bulb?
2. Who invented
wn to have
first Australian to
3. Which was the
street lighting?
ty?
to create electrici
m atom to atom
4. What flows fro
icity created?
5. Where is electr
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. . s.com.au
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