CHAPTER 6

USING ELECTRICITY

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 Previously in the Lower Block...

Energy is required
to enable things to
work.

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Variables affecting electric current
• We can increase or decrease the brightness of a
bulb in a circuit.
• We can do so by changing some variables that affect
the electric current flowing through the bulb.

bulb

wire
battery

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 Variables affecting electric current
Number of batteries in series
• A bulb becomes brighter when we
arrange more batteries in series A
in a circuit.
• Batteries are arranged in series
when the positive terminal of one
battery is connected to the
negative terminal of another
battery.
B
• When more batteries are arranged
in series, more electric current
flows through the bulb. Thus, the Which bulb is
brightness of the bulb increases. brighter, A or B?

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Variables affecting electric current
Number of batteries in series
• However, there is a limit to the number of batteries we
can add to a circuit.

• This is because when too much electric current flows

through the bulb, the filament will melt and the bulb will
blow.

• This will result in a gap in the circuit.

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Variables affecting electric current
Number of bulbs in series
• A bulb becomes less bright
when we arrange more bulbs in
B
series in a circuit.
• Bulbs are arranged in series
when they are connected one
after another.
• When more bulbs are arranged in
series, less electric current C
flows through each bulb. Thus,
the brightness of each bulb
decreases. Which bulb is
brighter, B or C?

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Variables affecting electric current
Number of bulbs in parallel
• Bulbs can also be arranged in
parallel in a circuit.
• When we arrange more bulbs in D
parallel, the same amount of
electric current flows through
each bulb. Thus, the brightness
of each bulb remains
unchanged.
E
• The number of bulbs arranged in
parallel does not affect the
electric current flowing through Which bulb is
the bulbs. brighter, D or E?

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Bulbs in parallel
• When one of the bulbs arranged in parallel in a circuit
blows, the other bulbs will continue to light up.

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 Think about it…

How are the bulbs on the Christmas tree arranged?

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Using electricity wisely
• Electricity is one of the most commonly used forms of
energy in our daily lives.
• However, generating electricity is costly and requires
fossil fuels to be used and burnt.

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Using electricity wisely
• Fossil fuels, like oil, coal and
natural gas are formed over
millions of years from dead
organisms buried deep under
the ground.
• If we use fossil fuels too quickly,
they will run out soon as they
take a long time to be replaced.
• To ensure that fossil fuels last
longer for more generations in Oil mining
the future, we need to conserve
electricity.

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 Think about it…

How can we help to ensure that there will be electricity

available for future generations?
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Using electricity safely
• Electricity is very important and useful in our daily lives,
but it can also be dangerous and harmful

• It can cause electric shocks or death if we do not use it

in a safe way.

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Using electricity safely
• We should take the following
precautions:
- Do not touch power sockets or
handle electrical appliances with
wet hands.
- Do not use electrical appliances
that have frayed or exposed
wires.
- Do not try to repair electrical
appliances yourself. Get an
electrician to do so instead.
- Do not put too many plugs into
one socket.

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 Let’s recap…

• The brightness of a bulb in an

electric circuit depends on:
- the number of batteries
arranged in series
- the number of bulbs arranged
in series
• The number of bulbs
arranged in parallel in a circuit
does not affect the brightness
of each bulb.

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 Let’s recap...

• We need to conserve
electricity so that fossil
fuels will last longer.
• We also need to use
electricity safely to
prevent electric shocks or
fires.

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Acknowledgements
(slide 8) lights © Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives |
Wikimedia Commons | Public Domain

(slide 9) Christmas tree © Keizers | Wikimedia Commons |

Public Domain

(slide 10) power station © Matthew D. Wilson | Wikimedia

Commons | CC BY-SA 2.5
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en)

(slide 11) oil mining © Ryan Lackey | Wikimedia Commons | CC

BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en)

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Acknowledgements
(slide 12) power lines © heb | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-
SA 3.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

(slide 13) switches and wires © Paul Cutler | Wikimedia

Commons | CC BY 2.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en)

(slide 14) plugs © Ringo Chan | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-

SA 3.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

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 THE END

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