Grade 11 Integrated Science Topic: Electricity and Lighting

Electric Current

All things on Earth are made up of tiny particles called atoms. There are many kinds of atoms, but they
all consist of a dense central structure called the nucleus around which negatively charged particles
called electrons rotate. The flow of negatively charged electrons within a material is called an
electric current/electricity.

Types of Current

Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which

periodically reverses direction. Alternating current is the
form in which electric power is delivered to businesses and
residences, and it is the form of electrical energy that
consumers typically use when they plug kitchen appliances,
televisions, fans and electric lamps into a wall socket. The usual
 waveform of alternating current in most electric power
circuits is a sine wave.

Direct current (DC) is the unidirectional flow of 

electric charge. A battery is a good example of a
DC power supply. 

Conduction of Electricity

Substances such as metals and graphite have some electrons that can move freely between atoms. This
means they can flow as an electric current through the materials. These substances are called electrical
conductors. Some materials, such as paper, plastic, rubber and glass do not allow an electric current to
pass through them because their electrons are unable to move around freely. These materials are called
electrical insulators or non-conductors.

Circuit symbols

Table: Electrical components and their symbols.

Component Symbol Notes

Cell (one) and The long line is the positive

battery (more than terminal and the short line is
one cell) the negative terminal
Bulb Gives out heat and light when
current passes.

Switch Used to turn current on and off

Connecting wires Connect different parts of a

circuit

Ammeter Measures the rate of flow of

electric current passing
through a circuit
Voltmeter Measures the ability of the
battery to push electrons
through a circuit
Resistor Limits or control the amount of
Fixed Variable current that passes through a
circuit
Fuse Consists of a thin metal that
melts to break the circuit if too
much electric current passes.
Helps protect appliances
Transformer Increases or decreases the
voltage of electric current
passing through a circuit

Electrical Circuits

For an electrical current to flow, there must be a complete path around which the electrons can travel.
This complete path is called an electrical circuit. An electrical circuit needs:

● A source of electricity, such as a cell or battery.

● An appliance, such as a lamp or refrigerator that uses the energy to do work.
● Connecting wires to link the different components

There are two types of electrical circuits. They are:

Parallel circuit - there is more than one route through

which current can travel around and back to the battery.
Therefore the current ‘splits up’ to supply each branch of
the circuit with an electric current. The current need not be
the same in each of the branches. Also, a defective or
disconnected component in one part of a parallel circuit
will not stop the flow of current to the remaining branches in the circuit.

Series circuit - all the components in the circuit are connected

together in one loop and there is only one route through which
the current can travel. The same current will flow through each
part of the circuit. If one of the components should become
defective or disconnected, no electric current will flow through
the circuit.

Current, Voltage and Resistance

Current is the flow of electrons through an electric circuit. In electric circuits, all the components and
connecting wires are made from materials that contain electrons that are free to flow. Each cell or
battery has two ends or terminals, a positive terminal and the negative terminal. The size of current
through a circuit can be measured using an ammeter. The symbol for electric current is I. The unit of
current is Ampere, abbreviated to A. An ammeter is always connected in series with the part of the
circuit in which you are measuring the current.
 
 Voltage 

Voltage is the energy that drives electrons through the electric circuit. The change in voltage between
any two points is called potential difference. The potential difference between two points in a circuit
can be measured using a voltmeter. The voltmeter is always connected in parallel to the appliance or
component in the circuit across which it will measure the potential difference. Voltage is given the
symbol V. The unit of voltage is volt (v).
 
Resistance 

Resistance is the hindrance to the flow of charge through an electric circuit. Therefore the resistance in
the circuit will determine the amount of current passing through it. Resistors are devices that are
placed in circuits to deliberately reduce the current through the circuit. The symbol for resistance is r
and the unit is Ohm (Ω). 
 
 Ohm's law 

 Ohm's law states that at a fixed temperature the current through a conductor is directly proportional to
the voltage across it. That is, as the current increases the voltage will also increase and the reverse is
true.
 

 The following equation shows the relationship between voltage, current and resistance:

𝑉 𝑉
 V = I x R  R= 𝐼
I= 𝑅

Hint: To use the magi triangle cover the quantity you want to find.
 
  Example 1: Calculating Current 
● What is the current in a circuit that has a voltage of 1.5 V and a resistance of 15Ω?
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 Example 2: Calculating Voltage
● What would be the voltage across a resistor of value 50 Ω carrying a current of 0.20 A?
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 Example 3: Calculating Resistance

● What would be the resistance in a circuit to which a voltage of 1.5 V is supplied and through
which a current of 0.02 A passes?
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 Electrical Power 

Most of the appliances used in the home are powered by electricity. On most electrical appliances you
will see a label which gives the power rating of the appliance. The power of an appliance is the rate at
which it can do work or the amount of electrical energy an appliance uses per second. Power has the
symbol P.
The unit of power is watt. The abbreviation for watt is W.

Note: 1000W = 1 KW

 The power rating of an electrical Appliance can be calculated from the equation

P = V x I 

 
 Example 4: Calculating Power 

 What is the power in watts of a bulb on a car dashboard that operates at 12 V with a current of 0.5 A?

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 Example 5: Calculating Current from Power
 
 What is the current used by an electric iron that operates on 110 V and has a power of 1000 W?
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 How does electricity get to your home?

After electricity is produced at the power station it is sent through high voltage cables, called
transmission cables, to a substation. At the substation the voltage is reduced and the electricity is
distributed to buildings mainly through the overhead wires which you see running from pole to pole
along the road.

When electricity enters your home it first passes through an electric meter which registers the amount
of electrical energy used. This information is required by the electricity company in order to bill the
customer for electricity used. The meter records the amount of electricity used in kilowatt-hours. One
kilowatt hour is the energy equivalent to a steady power of one kilowatt running for one hour.

 Reading an Electricity Meter

There are two types of electricity meters: analogue with dials or digital with numbers. Digital meters are
easy to read, in that the amount of electricity used can be read directly. An analogue meter, however, has
five dials each numbered from zero to nine. The dials alternately move clockwise and anti-clockwise.
The dials are read from left to right.  The meter is read on a regular basis usually every four weeks by the
electricity company and the amount of electricity used is calculated.

The amount of electricity used = Second reading – First reading

OR
= Current reading – Previous reading
 
 
Calculating Electricity Bills 
 
 Example 6:
A customer's previous meter reading was 12687 kWh, and four weeks later was 12989 kWh. The
electricity company in this territory charges a flat rate of $0.23 per kWh, with an additional fix charge of
$6.50, plus a fuel adjustment charge of $0.005 per kWh. How much did the customer pay for his
electricity bill during this period?

(i) Calculating the energy used during the four weeks:

 Energy used = final reading – initial reading
  = (12989 – 12687) kWh 
  = 302 kWh
 
 (ii) Calculating the cost of energy used:
 Energy charge = energy use x flat rate/kWh 
  = 302 kWh X $0.23 /kWh 
  =$69 .46 
(iii) Calculating the fuel adjustment charge:
  Fuel adjustment charge = energy used X fuel adjustment/kWh
  = 302 kWh X $0.005 /kWh
= $1.51 

(iv) Calculating the total electricity bill:

 
Energy charge $69.46
Fuel adjustment charge $1.51 
Fixed-charge $6.50 
Total $77.47 
 
Calculating energy consumption and charges for different appliances 

We can calculate the amount of energy used by individual appliances without taking a meter reading.
The energy used by an appliance can be calculated simply by multiplying the power rating of the
appliance by the time period, in hours, for which the appliance is used:

 Energy used (kWh) = power rating (kilowatts) X time (hours)

 Once the energy used buy an appliance is known, we can calculate the cost of running it.
 
 Example 7: calculating the cost of running a stove 

An electric stove has a power rating of 6400 W. If the electricity company in the territory charges a flat
rate of $0.024/kWh, what would be the energy charge to run the electric stove for 3 days continuously?

(i) First change the power to kilowatts:

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(ii) Calculating energy used by the electric stove 
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(iii)  Calculating the cost for energy used:
Energy charge = energy used X rate/kWh
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 Example 8: calculating the cost of running a refrigerator 
 A refrigerator has a power rating of 170 W. If the electricity company in the territory charges a flat rate
of $0.024/kWh, calculate the cost to run the refrigerator for 72 hours. Assume that the refrigerator runs
continuously for this time.

(i) Calculating energy used by the refrigerator:

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(ii) Calculating the cost of energy used: 
  Energy charge = energy used X rate/kWh 
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 Safety devices used for electricity 

Electricity is dangerous and electrical appliances should always be used with care, taking all the
necessary precautions while using them.

 Fuses and circuit breakers 

Each circuit is protected by a fuse. If for any reason too high a current flows in a circuit the fuse ‘blows’
and must be replaced. The fuse avoids the danger that the high current might overheat the circuit and
perhaps cause a fire. In some newer houses circuit breakers are used instead of fuses.

Wiring a three-pin plug 

 Appliances are connected to the mains supply by a flexible

cable called flex. This size and type of flex must suit the type
of appliance, since an appliance with a higher power rating
needs a flex with thicker wires. The flex usually connects to
the mains by a three-pin plug. Most flexes used in the house
have three colour-coded insulated wires which are brown,
blue and green or green/yellow. Brown represents live wire
which carries the current to the appliance. Blue is neutral
wire and green (or green/yellow) is the earth connection.
 
Energy conservation

Energy conservation is an effort made to reduce the consumption of energy by using less of an energy
service. This can be achieved either by using energy more efficiently or by reducing the amount of
service used.

Reducing Electricity Usage 

● Buy only energy-efficient appliances. 

● Change out old appliances for newer technology, such as cathode ray tube televisions for plasma
or liquid crystal display (LCD) ones because they use less energy.
● Avoid frequent and lengthy openings of the refrigerator door as this lets in the warmer air from
outside and increases the amount of energy required to cool the inside. 
● Make sure that the rubber seal on the refrigerator door fits correctly as this also allows warm air
from outside to enter
● Only use the washing machine when there is a full load because the washer does not use less
energy for smaller loads 
● Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms 
● Using LED bulbs fluorescent tubes and bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs because they
use about one-tenth of the electricity and last longer.
● Iron once per week.
Light

Light is a form of energy called electromagnetic radiation. Radio waves, microwaves and x-rays are
also types of electromagnetic radiation; however, light is the only radiation that we are able to see with
the naked eye.
Sources of light 

Some objects are self-luminous light sources, which means they provide their own light. Examples are
the Sun, a fire and an electric lamp. There are two kinds of self-luminous light sources:

● Incandescence sources provide light because they are hot 

● Fluorescent sources provide light when they are stuck with high energy waves (e.g. ultraviolet
radiation).

The Filament Lamp 

The filament lamp is an incandescent source of light, that is, it gives

off light because it is very hot. The filament light bulb consists of a
very thin tungsten filament coil, which is connected to electrical
contacts via two stiff pieces of wire. The filament is enclosed in a
glass case or bulb filled with an inert gas such as argon, and is
mounted on a glass support so that it sits in the middle of the bulb.
In most cases the glass bulb is clear and emits a very bright light
that can damage your sight.

Fluorescent tubes 

The fluorescent tube is a sealed cylindrical glass tube that

contains mercury vapour at low pressure and electrodes at
either ends of the tube. Incandescent light bulbs glow because
the filament is heated to a very high temperature. So a lot of
energy is wasted as heat. Fluorescent tubes do not produce
much heat, so are more economical than conventional
incandescent light bulbs, even though the initial installation
cost is higher.

Light Emitting Diode (LED)

A light emitting diode produces light when a current flows through the diode in a specified direction.
These lights are often used in daylight bulbs or as indicator lights in various devices such as televisions,
radios and digital clocks. LEDs are becoming very popular because they use much less current than
other light bulbs.
 

 Plasma light bulbs 

The plasma display, as in a plasma television, consists of tiny cells filled with a gas mixture of Neon and
Xenon inserted between gas panels. When an electric current passes through, the gas becomes charged,
giving off light. These are commonly used in signs as they are highly efficient and long-lasting.
 
Fires 

A fire will start once there is enough heat to ignite a fuel in the presence of oxygen. The fuel is the
substance that burns. Therefore the three conditions required to start a fire are oxygen, fuel and heat.
The way a fire is treated will depend on what has caused the fire. It is dangerous to try to cool a fire
caused by burning oil by pouring water on it. The oil is so hot that the water immediately and vigorously
boils, splashing burning oil everywhere. It is safer to exclude the oxygen in this case, for example by
placing a lid on the pan of burning cooking oil.

Before making any effort to extinguish an electrical fire you should try to switch off the electricity
supply. Electrical fires must also not be treated with water, as this could cause an explosion and increase
the risk of electrocution. In dealing with small bush fires, beating the flames with a spade, wooden
beater or green bush helps to smother and put them out, and prevent further spread of the fire.
 
Dangers of radiation
 
Radioactive substances emit alpha, beta and gamma rays. Most of these pose little of a threat to us in our
normal lives, and some are used to help us. An x-ray of a broken bone is a good example. But in excess,
radiations of these types can be harmful. For example, in some parts of the world, the radioactive gas
radon seeps out of the soil and into homes. To avoid health risks, such as lung cancer, special ventilation
systems can be installed to remove the gas. Using an undamaged microwave oven is safe, but some
recent evidence suggests that too much use of a cellphone may increase the risk of brain damage later in
life.
 
Protective clothing

Safety clothing or gear should be worn in places where you need to reduce the risk of injury to yourself,
such as in the laboratories, machine shops, workshops and factories. There are different types of
protective gear for different jobs. These include:

● Coats, overalls and aprons 

● Long sleeves made of leather 
● Rubber gloves 
● Goggles 
● Helmets
● filter mask
● Steel-toed shoes
● Rubber boots