Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Lightning is an example of an electrostatic phenomenon.

If enough charge builds up due to friction, then a spark will form.
A spark is charge moving through the air, heating up the air. We see
light and hear a sound. The moving charge is an electric current.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Electric shocks
Lightning can be very dangerous. If it strikes a person it can break
their bones, cause burns, or even kill them. The charge travels
through the person to earth. The electric current can interfere with
their heart or even stop their heart beating.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Fuel in cars and planes

When cars or planes are refuelled there is a risk of sparks. This
would be dangerous because the fuel could catch fire. The friction
of the fuel moving down the pipe can cause a charge to build up.
Fuel pipes are earthed by attaching a metal wire to the pipe. Any
charge that builds up will flow down the wire to the Earth. This
reduces the risk of a spark, and an explosion.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Electronics
Engineers who make circuits for TVs or phones need to reduce the risk
of damage to the delicate electrical components. They often wear special
wristbands connected to a metal wire that goes to the ground. Any build-
up of charge flows down the wire to earth rather than through the
delicate components.
Everyday electrostatics
Sometimes people feel a small shock when they touch a car door. This is
because the car has become charged by friction as it has been moving
along. You might sometimes hear the crackle of sparks as you remove a
piece of clothing, or feel a small shock when you touch a door handle.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

•Sparks happen when the air conducts electricity.

•● Lightning is a big spark that can cause damage
to people and buildings.
•● Lightning conductors reduce the risk of
damage to buildings.
•● Earthing reduces the risk of sparks and shocks.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Circuit symbols
We use circuit symbols for components to draw circuit diagrams.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Circuit diagrams

This is the circuit diagram for a torch. The diagram shows that the
switch is open.
The lamp is not lit. The switch is a break in the circuit and you need
a complete circuit for the lamp to work. If you press the switch the
circuit will be complete and the lamp will light up.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Conductors and insulators

An object or a material that conducts electricity is a conductor,

and an object or a material that does not is called an insulator.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

•● A complete circuit is needed for components in the circuit to work.

•● Conductors allow electricity to flow through them, but insulators
do not.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

What is electric current?

An electric current is the flow of charge.
In a circuit made of metal wires the flowing charge is caused by the
movement of electrons. Electrons are charged particles.
When you connect a battery to a circuit this provides a push to make
the electrons move. The moving electrons make an electric current.
The current is the amount of charge flowing per second.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

How do we measure current?

Current is measured in amperes (A) or amps for short. Small
currents are measured in milliamps (mA).
1 mA = 0.001 A, or one-thousandth of an amp.
You measure current with a meter called an ammeter. The circuit
symbol for an ammeter is:
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Series circuits
A circuit with a single loop is called a series circuit. The current will
only flow if it is a complete circuit.
In a series circuit with several lamps, you cannot turn the lamps on
and off separately. They are either all on or all off. If one lamp
breaks, or ‘blows’, then all the lamps go out.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Series circuits
You can use an ammeter to measure the current at different points in
a series circuit.
The current at P, Q, and R is the same, so the reading on each of the
ammeters is the same. Current is not used up in an electric circuit. It
is the same in every part of the circuit.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Conventional current and electron flow

In a circuit with a cell and a lamp, a current will flow. We normally
draw the current flowing from the positive terminal of the battery to
the negative terminal of the battery. This is conventional current.
This is because scientists have agreed that current flows from positive
to negative.

But the charge on an electron is negative. That means that the electrons
actually flow from negative to positive. They travel in the opposite
direction.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Current is the flow of charge (electrons) per second.

•● Current is measured in amperes (A) with an ammeter.
•● The current in a series circuit is the same everywhere.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Series and parallel circuits

In a series circuit there is only one loop.
In a parallel circuit there is more than one loop.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

The different loops of the circuit are sometimes called branches. Parallel
circuits are sometimes called branching circuits.
In a series circuit, if one lamp breaks then all the lamps go off.
In a parallel circuit this is not the case. If one lamp breaks then the other lamps
will still work.
You can put switches into each branch of the circuit to control each lamp. Each
lamp can be turned on and off independently.
You can control the lamps X, Y, and Z separately, using switches A, B, and C.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

• Each component such as a lamp provides a

resistance to the flow of charge.
• Two lamps provide twice the resistance of one
lamp, so only half the amount of charge flows per
second. The current is halved.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

Changing the number of cells

Nanda starts with his first circuit containing one cell, a switch, one
lamp, and an ammeter. This time he adds a second cell. Now the
lamp is brighter than normal, and the reading on the ammeter is
twice what it was before. Adding cells will increase the current in a
series circuit.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

● In a series circuit the current decreases if you add more

components.
● Different components have different resistances.
● In a parallel circuit the current increases if you add more
branches to the circuit.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)

• A force is needed to make the charges in a circuit move. This force is

provided by the battery. The size of the push depends on the voltage.
• The voltage also tells us about the energy that is transferred to the
components by the current.
• If the voltage is bigger, the battery will give a bigger push to the charges
in the wires. That means that more charge will pass a point in each
second, so the current will be bigger.
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)
Dr Aye Myint Moh IGCSE (Physics)