Turn it On! MSCHOLASTIC‘arnt Oot (Pex Cnotion sence place) Fer wna grade 6. 1San0.7731-0087-5 | ecwiy— Send rater Series. su20 me su 99-932262.1 ‘Gente aitoncapright © 2000 Scholes: Canada Lid Alright saved Sagal apg C15 Scheie ne Rep tic pon ye repre, stored in vel tomo ronemited phate, sing, eacaring ox etherwise, without the prior written consent ofthe ov Acces Copyright ens, call tol eet 1-800-893:5777, cad locale ownership of copyrighted materials used inthis tex. We wl be happy to recive informe- or omisions in the foling ead. \Gefths for Scholastic Conada Lid; page 2: Wolly Rondll for Scholastic Canada Li; page 4 Wally Re Gourtesy NASA; page 6: Molly Falconer for Scholastic Canada Lid.; page 8: Science Photo Library/ © Publiphoto; Gonads Ltd.; page 10: Wally Randall for Scholastic Conado Lid.; page 1 Ver: © Richord Lee for Scholastic ‘Stel Canad Lid; poe 15: Wel Rondel fr Shales Cand i poges 1618: Wally Randal for TS © Dovid S. Weitz for Scholastic Inc; poge 20: Wolly Randall for Scholastic Canada Lic; page 24: Wally Randall BS © R. Hortmier/First Light; page 25 c: credit Alex Bartel/Science Photo Library/ Publighoto; poges 26-27: od; page 28: coutey NAS; pag 29: © Richrd Le for Scholastic lnc; page 3: © JM Pett/Publiphot; page 33tr: © ¥. Derome/Publiphoto; page 33H: Ken Straiton/First Light; page 34 and 35; Wally Randall for 36k: © ¥. Derome/Publiphoto; poge 3711: © Richard Lee for Scholastic Inc; poge 37cr: Courtesy GE. Group; pages. ‘Conoda Ltd.; page 41bl, er: Wolly Randall far Scholastic Canada Ltd.; page 41tr: © Richard Lee for Scholastic Lee for Scholastic Inc; page 43c, bl: Derek Griffiths for Scholastic Canada Lid.; page 431k: Richard Lee for Scholastic fx ScblosticCond id; buck ovr (cent): © 8. Hrtna/ Fst Light lg bulb): © Rcd Leo for Shalt onl fo Scholes Canad Ui 3, Ma, 13,14, 23, 24.85, 36: Janet MeLeod;poge 11: Jared Schneldman; poge 71: Tom Ldhay; page 27: Joe La exbey, poe 45; Peer Spocek 3 1213141516Turn It On! Pan-Canadian Science Place Team Gary Cross Xavier Fazio Don Kelly Jo-Anne Lake Denise MacDonald Suson Martin Kathleen Rosborough Wayne Stewart Brian Veitch Borbara Wall Judy Willson re Scientific Accuracy R.G. Gosine Associate Professor of Engineering Memorial University of Newfoundland Scholastic Canada Ltd.SS SSSSS What Paths Can Electricity Take? ............. 20 How Is Electricity Used to Make Magnets? ....... 24How Are Magnets Used to Make Electricity? ..... 26 How Do Power Plants Use Magnets to Generate Electricity? ..........0,.. 30 How Can Electricity Affect Different Materials? ... 34 How Can Electricity Be Used? ........0020 088 38 Think Tank: Designing an Electric Oy eee seer 42 eet eat teehee a 48 This symbol <== Words in green This symbol This symbol 58 tells youwhen to. are explained shows you tells you when “y/“ write in your in the glossary when something you have Science Journal. on page 48. tobe learned may help you careful. with the Think Tank.1) Ra ZAS BIAS What If... --.you woke up one morning and none of the electric devices in your home worked? No alarm clock waking up your family, no lights, possibly no stove or hot water. What if the whole day was like that? Everywhere you went and everything you did had to be done without electricity. Your life would change in many more ways than you can imagine. What do you know about electricity? You probably use electricity many times every day. In fact, you are probably using it right this minute. Make a list of what you already know about Bice will you find out? ‘You will work, in groups as you do hands-on explorations that will help you discover answers to many of your questions. You will share what you learn with other groups. You will also find out what other scientists have is discovered aboutThink Tank IMs By the end of this unit you will Wy be able to use what you have learned to design an electric toy. Turn to page 42 and read a bit about the challenge so you can think about what you would like to design as you go through this unit. Scientific Inquiry Science is about asking a lot of ‘questions ond trying to find answers. To discover what sors of questions you will be exploring in his uni, ‘ead the table of contents on pages 2 and 3, ‘One way scientists find answers to questions is by using the process of scientific inquiry. You, too, can use scientific inquiry to onswer questions. ust oll the steps below, ‘© Ask questions about the problem to help you define it. © Make « hypothesis—a statement ccbout a possible answer or Solution to the problem. Is there a ‘ay fo fest your hypothess? Design an investigation to test your hypothesis Collect the materials you will need. Conduct your investigation. Record the results of your investigation, Draw conclusions from your results. Was your hypothesis ‘correct? Give reasons why or why not, Communicate your results and conclusions with others, I possible, relate what you have learned tothe world outside the lssroom.How Do You Use Electricity? The alarm goes off, and you jump out of bed and switch on the light. You turn on the radio for the weather report to see what you will need to wear. You want the jeans that are still in the clothes dryer. You fix yourself some toast and get some orange juice from the refrigerator. You have been awake five minutes. How did you use electricity? Keep an electricity journal. @ Brainstorm a list of all the things you use at Communicate your results. home, at school, in the playground, and so on that ireclectricity * Discuss with classmates whether or not hat require city. — Canadians today are too dependent on @ For one week, keep a record of every time electricity. you use electricity and for how long. Make a list . © Write a story about what it would be like to of the different things that use electricity. => live without electricity, © Review your list with parents, grandparents, or older neighbours. Ask them if they used these things when they were your age. Ifnot, what did they use? =» @ Make a chart that compares how your electricity use compares to the electricity use of someone older when they were your age. == Interpret your results, ‘© What do you use electricity most for? * What activities could’you cut down on. or eliminate to reduce the use of electricity? Why is this a good idea? Make an action plan to reduce the electricity you use. Follow your plan for a week. Do you think it made a difference? © What inventions that use electricity do you use that older people did not? How do/4did these inventions change the way we live?Exploration Connection: Electric society These days, there are far more ways available to use electricity than your parents or grandparents ever had. As scientists learned more and more about how electricity behaves, they were able to invent more and more appliances to use electricity. Inventions such as the radio and telephone were probably new to your grandparents when they were young. You have never known what it is like not to have those things. You use lots of electric: devices to make life more convenient. You can use a hair dryer to dry your hair, an electric toothbrush to brush your teeth, or a microwave to heat up a meal in seconds. ‘You can go anywhere and listen to your favourite music at the same time. You can send messages to friends anywhere in the world almost instantly using a computer, or take money out of your bank account at any time of day. Electricity shapes every part of your life, We use electricity today to make our lives easier and safer, to cook and to clean, to heat and light our homes, to entertain ourselves, to learn, and to communicate withne another. Our dependence on eleciric energy is staggering. A power failure can bring some everyday activities to a halt. Even in a blackout, we depend on electricity from generators and from battery- powered sources we often take for granted.Discovering Electricity Discovering electricity was a long process that involved many different scientists. Static electricity was the first type of electricity discovered. An ancient Greek scientist and philosopher named Thales found that amber attracted lightweight objects if it was rubbed. But it wasn't until American Benjamin Franklin performed his famous kite-flying experiment in 1752 that scientists really started to discover more about electricity. Franklin's experiment proved that lightning is electrical. He was able to charge a capacitor (a device used to store an electrical charge) when the electricity flowed down the wet kite string from the thundercloud. An Italian anatomist, Luigi Galvani, working in the late 1700s, noticed that the legs of a dead frog twitched when touched by two different metals. He thought that electricity made that happen. Another Italian, Alessandro Volta, discovered that Alessandro Volta > demonstrating his electric battery to Napoleon the electricity came from the metals and not from the frog. Volta eventually made the first battery in 1800. It was a pile of metal disks each separated by pads soaked in salt water. ‘While magnetic rocks and magnetic compasses had been used for centuries, it wasn’t until 1820 that the link between magnetism and electricity was discovered. Hans Oersted, a Danish physicist, discovered that a compass needle moved when placed beside a wire carrying an electric current. He realized that an electric current makes a magnetic field—and then discovered electromagnetism. This discovery has been used by lots of other scientists to make the many inventions we live with every day possible. * Research other developments in the history of electricity. What is the best way to share what you learned with classmates?loser to Home: Using electricity safely Electricity is one of the most useful forms of energy, but it can be very dangerous if t isn't used properly—it can cause fires and electric shocks. There are some important things you should remember if you handle electric switches or sockets. They are important because they could save your life. Water and electricity don’t mix. If your hands are wet or if you are standing on a wet floor, do not touch an electric switch or use an electric device. Electricity can travel through water. If you want to use a radio in the bathroom, use a battery-powered one—it doesn't use enough electricity to harm you. Keep electricity where it belongs—in wires or in devices. If the cords are frayed or cracked, they are dangerous. If you ever have to clean an electric device, make sure itis unplugged first. ‘A Why is it very important to follow safety rules when you use electric devices in a kitchen? OR 45 AD BE NAO Dw NAS) ‘Think before you plug a lot of things into one outlet. Is there another outlet you could use? Plugging too many devices into one socket can blow a fuse or even starta fire. In Canada, a group called the Canadian Standards Agency, or CSA, sets safety rules for devices that use electricity. When a device passes the safety rules, it is marked saying that it is approved by CSA. Ifyou buy an electric device, make sure it is CSA-approved. * Ifyou use a hair dryer in the bathroom, what safety tips should you follow? * What do you think are some things CSA checks before they approve a device? * Share these safety messages with others. Make a brochure, design a poster or a Website, write a TV commercial, or give a speech to tell others how to use electricity safely. << Why shouldn't you do the things shown in these diagrams? hink? = If you could use only three electric devices in your home, what ‘would they be? Explain your choices.3) EAS BETAS) What Is Electricity? what is electricity? Where does it come from? One of the easiest ways to find out about electricity is to watch it when it isn’t travelling to a device. That kind of electricity is called static electricity. If you have ever slid across a carpet and felt a shock when you touched a door handle, you have felt static electri Explora Make static electricity. © Put on the goggles to protect your eyes in case the balloons pop. Blow up some balloons and tie a knot at the end. @ Rub one balloon several times against the wool. Now place it on the wall and let go. Observe and record what happens. => © Now rub two balloons against the wool several times. Hold the balloons so that the sides you rubbed on the wool are next to each other, Bring the balloons together. What happens? ===> @ Pian a set of steps to compare how well the other materials make static electricity. Do they make the balloons behave in the same way as the wool does? Interpret your results. * What happened to the balloons when you put them on the wall? How long did the effect last for each balloon? If you were to rub the balloons for a longer time, do you think the effect would last longer? Try it! * What happened when you put two balloons rubbed with the same material next to each other? Do you think you could make the effect, stronger if you rubbed the balloons for a longer time? Try it! ‘© What happens if you put two balloons rubbed with different materials next to each other? ‘What happens if you rub two balloons together? Try it! ¢ When you rub a balloon, you make static electricity on its surface. Based on your results, what are two effects of static electricity? Communicate your results. * Make a chart to compare the results of your tests. How does your chart compare with others? How do you explain the differences in your results?“4 The green balloon was = tubbed and the orange balloon = wasn’t. The green balloon’ single charge = attracts the opposite charge from the orange balloon. What happens? Exploration Connection: Charged on static electricity Y Amber is tree sap from millions of When you made static electricity by rubbing the balloon years ago that has bene against the wool, the balloon and the wool each had a fossilized. The ancient Greeks . different electric charge. Electricity has two different knew that if they rubbed amber, it harges: positive and negative. Charges thee evn would attract small threads and Charges: positive and negative. Charges that are the same fluff, The Greek word for amber is Push each other away, or repel one another. Charges that elektron. That’s where our word are different pull each other closer, or attract electricity comes from. one another, An object gets charged because tiny particles called electrons, found in the atoms of all things, can be made to move from one object to another (in this Exploration by rubbing things together). This means you can make objects gain or lose electrons. When an object gains electrons, it gets a negative charge because each electron has a small negative charge. When an object loses electrons, the object gets a positive charge. How big the charge an object gets depends on how many electrons are gained or lost. When you rubbed the balloon and put it on the wall, did = the wall and the balloon have the same charge or a different : charge? They had different charges because they attracted he nee one another. What will happen if you rub your hands over a other even thoagh balloon that has static electricity? Give it a try and then they are dry. Why? decide if your hand and the balloon had the same or different charges. Did your hand gain or lose any electrons? nananeesssonnnnnesHow Can You Make Electricity? You probably like to listen to the radio or watch television. Radios and TVs don’t use much electricity, but heaters, stoves, and air conditioners do. You probably use a lot of devices that use up electricity. How about making your own for a change? Exploration: Make a battery. © Roll the lemons on a flat surface until they are soft, but be careful not to split the rind. @ With the table knife, cut two slits close together (no more than 1-2. em apart)on one side of each Jemon. Carefully push the penny into one slit. Push the nickel into the other. © Attach the lemons to each other with copper wire. Put one end of the wire into one lemon and the other end into another lemon. © Clip one alligator clip to the penny and another clip to the nickel. Touch the free ends of the alligator clips to the two terminals on the LED. © How many lemons did it take to make the LED light up? Interpret your results. * What materials did the electricity move through? * How long do you think your battery will last? How could you test this? * In what ways is your lemon battery like a flashlight battery? In what ways is it different? © Will this experiment work with other fruits? other metals? Try it! Communicate your results. * What difficulties would there be if you used your lemon battery to power an electric device? Write a description or draw a picture of what yout might experience using lemon batteries instead of store-bought batteries. * Explain and demonstrate your experiment atWhen the > flashlight is switched on, the current flows along the wire to the bulb. Exploration Connection: oa How batteries work <>» Your lemon battery is a voltaic battery. It is made up of two different metals in a liquid. The metals are called electrodes, meaning the part ofa battery where electric current goes into or out of the battery. The liquid the electrodes are put in must contain an electrolyte (a substance ina liquid that can conduct electricity). The electrolyte in the lemon battery is the acid in the Iemon. ‘The battery works because electrons collect on one electrode while the other electrode loses electrons. When you connect the alligator clips to both metals and touch them to the lighbulb, you make a circuit to let an electric current flow. All batteries work on the same principle— they all contain two electrddes and an electrolyte. Some batteries are called “dry cell” batteries because the electrolyte is a paste rather than a liquid. When you connect a battery to a light bulb, you make a circuit. Every part of the circuit must be joined to the next part, or electricity can’t pass through it. When you removed the wires that joined the two lemons together, no electricity flowed. Look at this diagram of the flashlight. It shows the circuit when it isn’t complete. How does the switch control the electricity travelling through the circuit? For some devices, such as flashlight bulbs, it doesn’t matter which way the electricity travels. ‘As long as you connect a negative to a positive terminal, the flashlight will work. But some things that run on electricity won't work unless the electricity going through them is travelling in the right direction. That's why a radio has a diagram in the battery compartment showing which way the batteries should face. 13AAMAS EPS) “4 The Power of Electricity ‘You know that static electricity has two different kinds of charges: negative and positive. ‘The two ends of a battery have different charges, too. One end is positive, and the other end is negative. When electricity travels through a circuit that uses a battery, negative charges move through the wires until they eventually reach the positive end of the battery. ‘What happens if you lay a paper towel on a puddle of water and leave it there for a while? Sooner or later, the whole paper towel will get wet. Water moves from parts of the paper that were wet first to parts that were dry. An electric circuit works something like the way the paper towel works. Negative charges are pushed from parts where there are more of them to parts where there are fewer of them. The force of this push of negative charges is measured in volts. The greater the number of volts, the greater the force pushing the electric charges. The volt is named after Alessandro Volta, the Italian scientist who invented the first battery in 1800, Ifyou have ever watched a movie about the Old West, you might have noticed that it takes only one horse to pull a plow, but it takes four horses to pull a stage coach. Ina similar way, different electric appliances need different amounts of force—or voltage— to work. Many batterie that you use have 1 volts of electric force, A small clock uses a single battery; a personal stereo uses two batteries. The personal stereo needs twice as much force to work as the clock needs. What about an appliance that uses six 1i;-volt batteries—how many volts does it need? You can safely use electricity from a 1¥,-volt battery—the voltage in it isn't very dangerous, it’s the current that can cause injury to the human body. The electricity that you use from a wall outlet is a different story. The force of that electricity is generally at least 110 volts. You can use it safely, too, but you have to be more careful. Now that you know about voltage, think about your safety rules. Do you need to change or add any information? Positive t Steel casing Manganese oxide Tine powder Metal rod Negative terminal There are harmful materials inside. A In this long-life battery, the steel case encloses zinc and manganese electrodes, and the electrolyte (a paste of potassium hydroxide). The electrolyte causes a chemical reaction which makes zinc lose electrons and manganese gain electrons. The metal rod collects electrons from the zinc to create the negative terminal.BE AD DE foo i FAS) Here are some batteries and > some devices that use batteries. Can you think of any other devices that use batteries? Which ones use rechargeable batteries? Look around your home and school to find out. Batteries are packages of chemicals that make it easy to carry electricity any place you go. Small batteries run portable radios, televisions, and computers. What other things do you use that run on batteries? Many forms of transportation use electricity. Although car engines use gasoline as fuel, they need electricity, too. That’s why cars have batteries. Airplanes and ships also use batteries for their engines and for lights. Even space shuttles use batteries. Batteries can improve people’s lives in other ways, too. Some people who have heart problems use tiny battery-powered devices to keep their hearts beating. Batteries also help people who use hearing aids. North Americans use—and throw away— about 2 billion batteries each year. Because they contain dangerous chemicals, these batteries can harm the environment. One solution to this problem is to use batteries that can be recharged. Aiter these batteries have run down, they can be plugged into a wall outlet, and they become good as new. ‘* How would your life change if you had to plug all your battery-operated devices into wall outlets? Explain your answer, @ « Is the battery in a car a rechargeable battery? How do you know? How are static and current electricity the same? How are they different? 15What Can Electricity Travel Through? When electricity flows through a circuit, it is called an electric current. It is something like water flowing through a pipe to a tap. The water will not travel to the tap if it doesn’t have the pipe to travel through. Electricity also needs something that it can travel through. In Lesson 4, electricity travelled through aluminum and copper. What else do you think electricity can travel through? Exploration: Make a test unit. @ Place a battery in each holder. Connect the two battery holders using the short copper wire. Make sure that each battery faces in the same direction as in the photograph. @ Connect the free end of the red wire to the positive terminal of the battery holder. Connect the free end of the black wire to the negative terminal. © lip the red wire to the longer leg of the LED. @ Predict what will happen if you touch the clip on the black wire to the shorter leg of the LED. Test your prediction, ==" Always make sure your hands | \ are dry when using electricity. 16 Interpret your results. * Electricity travels in one direction through a circuit. What do you think would happen to your circuit if you attached the battery holders so that the same terminals of each battery were connected? Try it! it helpful to have different-coloured wires in the test unit? * How could you use this circuit to find out if electricity will travel through a material? Draw a diagram to show what you would do. Communicate your results. © Write an instruction booklet with diagrams and tips for people to use to make a test unit. Positive (+)Exploration Conne Wires and fuses The wires you used in the Exploration are made of copper and so are the wires that run through your home and the wires that connect electric devices to outlets. The only metal that carries electricity better than copper is silver. Why do you think silver isn’t usually used for wires? Copper wires can carry a lot of electric current. But if they carry too much, they will get too hot. They could even start a fire. That’s why homes have fuses for their circuits. Iftoo many devices are turned on, the wires heat up too much and a fuse will melt and stop the flow of electricity. 4 wall outlets are connected to wires that carry electricity through your home; the prongs of a plug are connected to wires that carry electricity to an electric device. A fuse lets electricity flow through it, but if the current becomes too large, a wire inside the fuse will heat up and melt, breaking the circuit, That stops the flow of electricity. No electricity will be able to flow through that circuit until the blown fuse is replaced. A circuit breaker does the same thing. It has switches that turn a circuit off when the current becomes too strong. Do not stick your fingers or anything other than plugs into wall sockets. WwWWhat materials are used to keep the electric current in your house from harming you? Without taking anything apart, carefully look at some plugs, outlets, and wires that carry electricity. Try looking at stereo speaker wires, the toaster plug, or a bathroom wall outlet. What different materials are they made of? Exploration: - Find out what will carry electricity. ° Interpret your results. pret y Oo Check that the LED lights © What can you tell about a material that allowed up when a clip is attached to the LED to light up? each of its legs. * How were the materials that allowed the LED @ Design an investigation to to light up alike? test your hypothesis of how you» What prediction can you make about which would use the test unit to check —_kinds of materials will carry electricity? which materials electricity can flew feoich * Did any of the results surprise you? If so, why? © Show your investigation to your teacher. Communicate your results. Ifit’s approved, collect all the materials you will * Explain to a friend why electrical cords, plugs, need and conduct it. Record what happens. => + ees plugs, and outlets are made of different materials.A DL AS ' > signals from your senses to your brain—and from your brain to your muscles—are carried by electricity. Closer to Home: You are a conductor ; A material that lets electricity travel through it is called a conductor. You are a conductor. That is why electricity can be dangerous to you. If you weren't a conductor, you would not be able to get electric shocks. But you can get electric shocks. ‘They happen if a lot of electricity travels through your body. If there is enough electricity, a shock can seriously harm—or even kill—you. Everything you do depends on electricity travelling through your body. Whenever you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel anything, a message travels to your brain, Whenever you move, a message travels from your brain, Every message travels along nerves. Your nerves do not look like telephone wires, but they act a little bit like them. Each message to or from your brain travels as electricity! Look at this diagram. When you touch something with your finger, an electric signal is sent from your finger to your brain. If you decide to move your toe, your brain sends an electric signal to the muscles that control it. © You are a conductor, but how well do you conduct electricity? If you had tested your finger in the Exploration, what do you think would have happened? Try it! * When your brain sends and receives messages do the messages use a large or a small amount of electricity? Why do you think so? Most electric cords are made of copper wrapped in plastic. What other kinds of cords might work? Make a list.456) EAS BETAS) What Paths Can Electricity Take? Electric current will only flow through certain materials. it will only flow if it has somewhere to go. When a current travels through a wire, the wire is part of a circuit. If the circuit is broken, what happens? Are all circuits the same? Exploration: Make series and parallel circuits. «> © Use the clip to attach the red wire of your test unit to one end of a lamp holder. Attach the black wire to one end of the other lamp holder. @ Use one copper wire to connect the unused ends of the two lamp holders. Screw the bulbs into the lamp holders. You have made a series circuit. Record what happens. <=? © Disconnect the lamp holders from the series circuit. Use one of the copper wires to connect one end of each lamp holder, Connect the other two ends with the other copper wire. What happens? ==> @ Now attach the wires from the test unit to the ends of one of the lamp holders. You have made a parallel circuit. Record what happens. => Interpret your results. * What is the difference between a series circuit and a parallel circuit? © What did the electric current pass through to reach each bulb in each of the circuits? If you removed one bulb from each circuit, what would happen to the circuit? What would happen to the other bulb? Try it! * Does the circuit affect how bright the bulb is? How can you make the bulb brighter? more batteries? more lights? less wire? Try it! Communicate your results. © When you blow a fuse in the kitchen, you may still be able to use electricity in the living room. What does that tell you about the circuit in your home? Explain to your family why your home needs parallel circuits.SIE A Trace the path of the electric current through each circuit with your finger. Exploration Connection: Electrical symbols © Electrical engineers who design circuits for video games, telephones, and all kinds of electric devices use special symbols to make their work easier. Use the key to read the diagrams on this page. Which one shows the series circuit from the Exploration? Which one shows the parallel circuit? © Draw diagrams of the circuits you made. KEY es WIRE CONNECTION BETWEEN WIRES: _ _ BATTERY -O- UGHT BULB 2When you made a series circuit, you connected two bulbs in a row. The current had to pass through one bulb to reach the other. In your parallel circuit, each bulb was connected by itself to the test unit. Suppose you wanted to switch the bulbs on and off one at a time. Which kind of circuit would let you control each bulb separately? Open and Closed Circuits When an electric current is flowing through acircuit, the circuit is complete. It is called a closed circuit. If there is a break in the circuit, electric current can’t flow. The circuit is called an open circuit, When an electric appliance is running, is the circuit that the appliance is part of open or closed? You rely on many electrical appliances, and they make your life easier. Even so, you wouldn't want all of them on all the time! That is why it is often important to be able to control whether a circuit is open or closed. A switch is a device that controls whether or not electric current flows through a circuit. When you turn on the lights in a room, you use a switch. The part you touch is made of a material that doesn't conduct electricity, but it moves two pieces of metal so that they touch each other. The pieces of metal closed a gap in the circuit, allowing the electric current to flow. In the diagram of the switch, find the point where the metal contacts touch. When you turn the switch off, it separates the pieces of metal and makes a gap in the circuit. A switch can be simple or complicated and can control one or more circuits. ‘When you connecteththe wire that closed your series or parallel circuit in the Exploration, you were using a very simple kind of switch, Could you invent a switch that you could place in the circuits you made to control the flow of 2 electric current? Try it! Can you turn the bulbs on and off with your switch? Make a list of materials that would make good switches. You cannot control the bulbs separately in a. series circuit, no matter how many switches you use. In a parallel circuit, you can use separate switches to control each bulb. Can you add switches to your circuit diagrams? Try it! Work with some classmates to put switches into parallel circuits to control several bulbs separately. Draw diagrams of the circuits including the switches you made. A fuse is a kind of safety switch that you do not, have to turn off yourself. Having a fuse in a circuit is like having someone on watch for emergencies all the time. When a fuse “blows,” it opens the circuit, shutting off the flow of electricity. 4 This isa diagram of a circuit tha open or closed?A Tilt switch (thermostat) Exploration Connection: Switches Closed circuits are important to keep electricity flowing but sometimes you want to control when a circuit is open and when it is closed. That's what switches do. When you turn the light switch on in 4 This switch is in the off position. * y When it is turned on, the your bedroom, you are closing the circuit so that curved Ship afiictel mosses electricity will flow to the light. close the circuit. ‘Switches come in many forms, including dials (on an electric stove), push button (doorbell), and slide switches (on a flashlight), but they all work the same way—they control the flow of electric current through a circuit by connecting two metal contacts to complete a circuit, * Check out your house. Make a list of things that use electricity and what kinds of switches they have. Why do you think they have that kind of switch? * How could you use a paper clip to make a switch for a circuit? Try it! Why don’t all the bulbs in some strings of party lights go out n you remove one bulh? Why “4 Reed switch would they be made this way? (push button) anneeeeeseooneoensesecasHow Is Electricity Used to Make Magnets? When you made static electricity on balloons, you found that it pushes and pulls (or attracts and repels). When you used two magnets together, you discovered that they can push and pull, too. What might magnets and electricity Exploration: have to do with each other? al Observe the effects of electricity in a coil © Rub about 2 cm of each end of the copper wire with sandpaper until they are shiny. @ Attach one wire from the test unit to one end of the copper wire. © Tape the copper wire to the nail, and then wind it about 60 times around the nail. Tape the coil you have made so that it doesn’t unwind. @ Attach the free end of the copper wire to the free wire from the test unit. Record what happens when you touch the nail to a paper clip. == © Repeat step 4 with different numbers of paper clips. —=> @ Plan a set of steps to test the things that affect the strength of this magnet. The nail may become hot quickly. Interpret your results. * Why was it important to rub the ends of the copper wire with sandpaper? * What does a coil carrying electric current do? * What would happen if you wrapped the copper wire around other materials? Try it! Communicate your results. * Write an explanation of how the nail can work like a magnet. Share your explanation with someone at home. 4Closer to Home: Magnets at work Believe it or not, you just made an electromagnet. When electricity travels through acoil of wire, the coil acts like a magnet. The nail adds strength to the electromagnet because it also gets magnetized by the magnetic field around the coil. You can turn your electromagnet on and off by controlling the flow of electricity to it Magnets have many uses. The magnets that hold notes on to your refrigerator door are not the only magnets in your home. In fact, most refrigerators also have a magnet in the door latch. The doorbell uses a magnet, a washing machine uses magnets, and stereos and VCRs ‘use magnets. Any electric device with a motor or a loudspeaker uses magnets. Magnets have many industrial uses, too. Recycling centres use electromagnets— magnets that are made using electric current— to pull the iron and steel from piles of recycled garbage. You made a small electromagnet in the Exploration of this lesson. Electromagnets are also used in factories and junkyards to lift heavy A Amaglev train “floats” about the tracks. Many countries are experimenting with trains that use magnetism to make the train hover just above the track. These trains, called maglev trains, are expected to be able to travel at speeds of over 500 kilometres per hour. Slower maglev trains are already operating in around the world, including the Skytrain in Vancouver. Powerfull magnets are used for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRD. MRIis a way to look inside the body without harmful x-rays. MRIs use magnetism and radio waves to produce a two-dimensional, cross-section image. A This electromagnet is separating iron and steel from other materials. S What advantages are there in being able to turn a magnet ‘on and off?How Are Magnets Used To Make Electricity? Nearly 200 years ago, a scientist named Hans Oersted found out that electricity could cause magnetism. Other scientists thought that perhaps magnetism could cause electricity, too. About twenty years later, the scientist, Michael Faraday, found the answer. Magnetism can be used to make electricity. How? Make electricity with a magnet. © Strip at least 5 cm of Interpret your results. insulation from each end of * * When a magnet moves through a coil of wire, the insulated wire. what happens? Does whether the magnet @ Coil the wire tightly moves up or down affect the results? around the cardboard tube, What do you think will make the effect leaving about 1 m free at stronger? Try it! each end, While you hold the coil, have a partner tape Communicate your results. it so it won't unravel. * What uses can you think of for the effect you © Twist each free end of created? Make a list and compare it with some the coiled wire to one free classmates. end of the wire on your wrapped compass. @ Set the compass down on a flat wood or plastic surface. Set the coil-wrapped paper tube on its end. Move the compass as far from the paper tube coil as it can go, and turn the compass so that its needle is in line with the coil of wire around it. © Have a partner move the magnet slowly in and out of the paper tube coil while you watch the compass. ==> 2%Exploration Connection: Making electricity In the Exploration, you made electricity using awire coil and a magnet. When a magnet moves inside a coil of wire, electricity is generated. You proved this because the needle on the compass moved when the current reached the coil of wire around it. When you move the magnet down into the coil, electric current flows through the wire in one direction. The compass needle moved in one direction. When you move the magnet up out of the coil, electric current flows in the other direction, and the compass needle moved in the other direction. Electric current that changes direction is called alternating current. You have made a generator that produces alternating current. As you look at diagrams A and B, find the meter in each diagram. It measures the amount of current in a wire. In which diagram does the meter show that current is travelling through the wire? The experiments in diagrams A and B are different, Can you see how? What conclusions can you draw about magnetism and electricity? A Diagram A a Diagram BGED 'D I" 4 Sue_D) )* 4 GZ ~e © Making Electricity in Space In September 1992 NASA conducted an interesting experiment using the space shuttle Atlantis. The picture shows the shuttle travelling at about 300 kilometres above Earth’s surface. The shuttle is dragging a small satellite by a wire. ‘The crew of Atlantis reeled out the wire that connected the satellite and the shuttle. NASA. planned to have the wire stretch 20 kilometres. ¥ The satellite on the left side of the picture is being pulled by the space shuttle Atlantis. 28 Earth is a giant magnet. The shuttle was travelling past it—and so was the wire. What happens when a wire travels past a magnet? The crew hoped to make electricity. Although they could not extend the wire as far as they had planned, they did get the results they expected: they made electricity. * Based on your Exploration, would the effect have been stronger if the wire had been longer? Explain your answer.Closer to Home: Using electromagnetic energy Ifyou ride a bike at night, it should have lights at the front and the back. The front light lets you see where you are going. What's the back light for? Most bicycle lights use batteries, like flashlights do. When the batteries run out, you have to get new ones. But there is another way to power the lights on a bike—using your own energy. You can use a generator, a device that turns motion into electricity. GENERATOR Magnet When the > generator is in the On position, it is turned by the wheel and produces electricity for the lights of the bike. Abike generator uses the bike's wheel to move a wire coil between the poles of a magnet. This makes an electric current, which powers the lights. The faster you ride, the more electricity the generator makes—and the brighter your lights will be © What are the advantages of using a generator on a bike? What are the disadvantages? © How does using a generator help the environment? Car batteries are rechargeable, but they don’t have to be plugged into outlets like other rechargeable batteries. How do you think they get recharged? MOROORSSODOOSRSOSSSRRRRSOEESHow Do Power Plants Use Magnets to Generate Electricity? Nearly all the electricity you use is produced by large generators that have coils of wire moving between magnets. The magnets are very strong. There is a lot of wire in the coils. The coils tun very fast. Where does the energy to tum the coils come from? How is it used to turn the coils? Most generators use turbines. Turbines look a little like the sails of a windmill or the propeller ofa ship. As water or gas moves past a turbine, the turbine turns. This motion is used to turn the coils of wire in a generator. ‘Many power plants in Canada use water to push turbines. Power plants that use water power are called hydroelectric plants. The larger hydro plants use dams to control the flow of water past the turbines. With wind and water energy, no fuels are used up, and there isn’t any smoke or pollution from the power plant. ‘Steam is also used to push turbines. The most common way to make the steam is by burning a fuel such as coal, natural gas, or oil to boil water. These fuels are called fossil fuels, because they were formed over millions of years from plant fossils. There isn’t enough fossil fuel on Earth to last forever. That is why people have looked for other ways to make steam. Nuclear power plants use tiny amounts of a metal called uranium to start a nuclear reaction. ‘The reaction releases heat, which is used to make steam. Nuclear poWer plants don’t pollute the air, but their waste is very dangerous. A nuclear accident can be so dangerous that a large area around the accident may be poisoned for thousands of years. Most fuels have to be mined and carried to a power plant, but some energy sources deliver themselves. Water and wind are two energy sources that do this. Windmills have been used for over 1400 years. Water power has been used for even longer. One other source of energy that delivers itself is solar energy. Huge mirrors can be used to collect energy from the Sun. This energy boils water to make the steam to run a generator. * Which sources of electricity are renewable and which are non-renewable? * Which way of producing electricity is the most efficient? least harmful to the environment? most reliable? Make a chart to grade the different sources of electricity. TURBINE Water (or gas outSources of electricity Which source of powefdo you think is used the most in Canada? in your province? Check the Internet or library to find out. Do you think this source will be the one most used in the future? Explain. New ways of using the Sun, the wind, water, and other materials to make electricity are being tried out all over the world. Many of these sources of energy are free, and they are very clean because there are no waste products. But so far, these energy sources don’t produce very much of the electricity that people use. * Power plants don't store electricity—they produce it when itis needed. Most electricity is produced at 6:00 pm. Why do you think most people would need electricity at that time? * What time of year do you think people use the most electricity. Why? 31Exploration: Research sources of energy. @ Pick a source of energy to research. You could choose a traditional source such as hydroelectric or fossil fuels, or you could choose anew source such a the Ballard Power Cell. @ Research how the source is used to make electric energy, how much it costs, environmental and health concerns, reliability, how much of Canada’s (or you area’s) energy comes from that source and how much more could come from it, and so on. —= © Make a chart to show all the information you have found so that you can share and compare your energy source with others. Interpret your results. A Panels from solar farm * Do you know if the source you researched is a good long-term source of electric energy for Canada (or your area)? © What concerns do you have about this source? * How much is this source used in Canada? Should it be used more? Why or why not? © How will understanding how electricity is made change your daily use of electricity? Communicate your results. * Compare your source of electric energy with others. As a group, debate the advantages and disadvantages of each power source and decide on one source as the one Canada should use the most. ‘A Emissions from a nuclear power plant=| ova ‘A Coal burning power station Closer to Home: Power, pollution, and the planet When you use an electric device, there doesn't seem to be any pollution or any change to the environment, but the energy that you tise was generated in a power plant. Most likely, the power plant changes the environment in many ways. Hydroelectric power sounds clean and safe— it uses water. But when a river or a lake is blocked off, the land is changed. These changes affect local wildlife. Power plants that use steam can put heated water into their surroundings. ‘The heated water changes the environment. The plant and animal life that lived there before may not be able to live there anymore. Whenever fossil fuels are burned—even in the cleanest power plants—there are wastes. ‘The wastes contain chemicals that cause air pollution and acid rain, Burning any fossil fuel also produces carbon dioxide. Too much carbon, dioxide may change the Earth’s climate. Drilling or mining for fossil fuels changes the environment, too, and transporting it by truck A Wind turbines on a “Wind Farm” or train burns even more fossil fuel. If the fuel is moved by pipeline, the land has to be cleared for the pipes. * Inwhat ways do you think using power from the Sun or wind might change the environment? What other issues need to be considered? © How might getting electricity from a power plant to a town change the environment? © The Ballard Fuel Cell is being developed to produce electricity without pollution. The cells use oxygen and hydrogen (from methanol, natural gas, or gasoline). Do you think this technology is a good way to produce electricity? How is most electricity produced for your community? Do some research to find out. Monoononnccenoseccesasanesa)? METAS RUM ETAS How Can Electricity Affect Different Materials? If you wanted to build a buzzer, you would need the electric current to travel through the circuit easily. Copper wires would be a good choice because copper is a good conductor. Not all conductors let the same amount of electricity travel through them. How do you think electricity affects a poor conductor? Exploration: Find the best conductor. Interpret your results. © Connect one clip from a © Why do you think there is a difference in the test unit to one end of the light produced when touching the graphite graphite rod. rod in different places? @ Attach the other clip * What material is the best conductor? from the test unit to a lamp : holder. Communicate your results. © Touch the lamp holder * Make a chart of all the materials you tested. Rate each material as a good, average, or poor to the graphite rod. What happens? Move the conductor. lamp holder along the rod. What happens? === @ Test other materials. —=Exploration Connection: Electric heat ‘What can you do when your hands are cold? You can hold them in front of an electric heater, or you can rub them together. Both of these methods will warm your hands up, and they both use the same thing to create heat—friction. ‘There is friction any time two objects collide or rub against each other. When electricity travels through a material that isn’t a very good conductor, the electricity has to push its way through. It is a little like trying to walk through a crowded corridor—you get bumped and pushed. So when electricity goes through a material that isn’t a very good conductor, there is friction. The friction makes heat. A What kind of conductor is used in a burner on a stove? Electricity can only travel through a complete circuit, so materials that are used in electric heaters must be able to carry electricity. They must be conductors—but not very good ones. Tiny particles of electricity that travel through wires are called electrons. When it is hard for the electrons to push through a conductive material such as graphite, the conductive material heats up from all the friction of the electrons trying to push their way through.A tare RM ATIAS, You found out that although graphite is a conductor, it is nota good one. When an electric current travels through poor conductors, the conductors get hot. Electric heaters use this property to change electric energy into heat energy. Other appliances change electricity to motion, sound, and light. Which appliances do you think use the most electric energy? Electricity Use <>» ‘The rate at which an appliance uses electric energy is measured in watts. The higher the number of watts, the faster the appliance uses electric energy. Here’s a chart showing how much electricity some appliances use. APPLIANCE ELECTRIC POWER IN WATTS | Kitchen stove 12,000 thes dryer 4,500 Hectic kettle 1,500 Toaster 1,000 Micowove 1,000 Vacuum leaner 500 Colour television 200 | _Competer e200 si Desk lamp 60 Glock 4 Which of the appliances change electricity to heat? motion? light? sound? Which ones change electricity into heat and motion? Now look at the chart and decide which kind of appliance uses electricity at the fastest rate. Which kind of appliance— one that makes heat, motion, light, or sound—costs the most to run? To find out how much electricity an appliance uses to do a job, multiply the number of watts the appliance uses by the amount of time it is running. Suppose it takes 3 minutes to toast a slice of bread. Would you save more electricity by eating the bread untoasted or by not watching a 30-minute television show? Although appliances are designed to do their jobs as well as possible, electricity is sometimes changed into forms of energy that aren't used. An incandescent light bulb changes only about 1/20 of the electric energy it uses into light. The rest is changed into heat. So a light bulb really works better at making heat than it does at making light!Closer to Home: Everyday electric heat There probably isn’t a day that goes by without you using electricity to make heat. If you use an electric stove, a toaster, a hair dryer, or an iron in your home, you are running a current through materials that aren’t very good conductors. Many devices use coils of wire to make heat. Acoil can make a long wire fit into a small space. All the heat produced by the long wire is made in the small space, so it can be used conveniently. © Itcosts more to run an electric heater than a radio. Do you think it takes more electricity to produce heat or to produce sound? * Oil, gas, and electricity are used to heat people’s homes. What advantages are there in using electricity to heat a home? Many electric devices, such as toasters and irons, use coils of wire to change electricity into heat. i The greater the current passing through a material, the greater the heat that can be produced. So why don’t heaters use good conductors?OBR LEAS How Can Electricity Be Used? You have seen how electricity can make light. Look round the classroom. What else can electricity do? How do you think electricity can be used to make sound, ‘motion, or light? Exploration: Investigate the uses of electricity. «> © Chose one of the activities on the activity sheets: making sound, movement, or heat using electricity. Read over the instructions to make sure you understand them and collect all the materials you will need. © Follow the instructions to conduct your experiment. <=" Interpret your results. © Meet with classmates who did the same experiment. Discuss what you did and learned, How could you improve the experiment? * Can you think of another experiment to explore how electricity is used? Try it! Communicate your results. © Write out instructions for your improved or new experiment so others can try it. © Write a paragraph to explain the different ways electricity can be used.ELAS DE FAS Exploration Connection: Doorbell AN ELECTRIC DOORBELL Look at this diagram of an electric doorbell. When the switch is on, the circuit is complete. The electromagnet creates a magnetic field. The clapper is pulled toward the magnet and hits the bell. If you trace the electric current travelling around the circuit, you can see that the clapper is a part of the circuit. When it moves toward the electromagnet, it makes a gap in the circuit, The magnet stops pulling, and the clapper goes back to its original position—it’s a spring. The clapper is back where it started, completing the circuit. The whole process begins again. People in England call this Kind of circuit a “make-and-break” circuit. Can you tell why? © What would happen if the clapper wasn’t a spring? Share your thoughts with a partner, ‘A How does the switch complete the circuit when the red button Switch is pushed?40 $9) REZ AO BAS EL Electric Motor You learned that electricity and magnetism can be used to make a motor turn. Look at the diagram showing an electric motor. How does the current reach the coil? Look at the names of the motor parts. What other everyday objects can you use to build a motor? What could you use as an armature? What could you use for brushes? Share your thoughts with a partner. An electric motor turns the >» circular restaurant at the top of the Calgary Tower in Calgary, Alberta, once every hour. ELECTRIC MOTOR Armature (rotating coll or bar in an electric motor or generator)Closer to Home: Light bulbs You have probably seen plenty of light bulbs like the one shown in the diagram. Light bulbs haven’t changed very much since the first one was invented in 1879. Two inventors / developed the light bulb but separately— one was British, A Joseph Swan and the other Glass American, Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison tried out more than 9000 different materials to use as a filament. When a material gets hot enough, it glows red. Ifit gets even hotter, it glows white. Edison wanted to find a filament material that would get hot enough to give off white light. ‘The materials that got that hot quickly burnt up in the air. Edison knew that things cannot burn without oxygen from the air. So he pumped the air out of a bulb. The filament didn’t burn up, and it gave enough light to read by. Within two years, Edison's filament was improved by Lewis Latimer. Do you think the wires Edison and Latimer used as filaments were good conductors? Modern bulbs have a gas in them that prevents the filament from burning. The gas lets the heat pass from the filament to the glass of the bulb. This helps the filament last longer. The filament is made of a Special metal that gives off lots of light when current passes through it. How do you think the electric current reaches the filament? Why do you think the wire of a filament is a coil? What are some other devices that change electricity to sound, light, ‘or motion? Make a list and compare it with classmates. MW ‘lament Can you see the similarities between a very early light bulb and one that you might use at home? * How do you think Halogen lights or Neon lights work? Do some research to find out and share the information with others in your class. Ponnnneyereer err rerennr© Identify Problems: Designing an Electric Toy Problem: an exciting new movie is opening this summer. The movie company has asked you and your group to design a special toy to advertise the movie. The toy In the days before electricity, toys must use electricity to move, light up, or didn’t speak or light up. These days, toy makers can use electricity from make sound. Your group must put together several sources—generators, batteries, or solar cells—to power a plan that describes the toy and how it their toys. will work. oO First, you will decide what you want the toy to do, then you will make a ——_—_—_ —oQ— list of all the problems you would th hale 5 : 1ese questions will help Will the toy light up, make have designing a toy that either you make a list of the noise, or nie eroBnaP moves, lights up, or makes sound. Vroblarss'yeuiuighthave WUTC while trying to design : eo oat your toy: How will your toy advertise the movie? Then, you will come up with some possible solutions to these problems. What have you already learned about electricity that could help you solve These pages show some @ Finally, you will design and construct some of the problems you fun inventions that run on your electric toy. will face? electricity. They are small enough to carry around ~ with you. As you study the What are some sources of | _ppictures, ask yourself: How electricity that could power —_do these devices use a toy? Which source will electricity? you use? What materials will you need to build a toy? Will they be safe to play with? 42‘4 Hand Powered Flashlight 4 Tape Player This small tape player uses batteries as a power supply. A motor moves the tape and an amplifier makes the sound as soft or loud as you like. When these stereos first came out, people were amazed that such small machines could produce so much sound. This flashlight never runs out of power. It converts human energy into electricity to power the light. Can you identi some of the parts? How cam knowing how these devices use electricity help you design your toy? 43THINK TANK What are solar cells? Some electric toys aren't powered by batteries or generators. They carry solar cells and are powered by energy from the Sun, Solar cells are made of silicon, one of the materials jin common beach sand. Solar cells change sunlight into electricity, and in many ways, they're an ideal source of power. Unlike batteries, solar cells don’t contain harmful chemicals and don’t wear out. Unlike generators, they don’t need a source of motion (like a bicycle tire) to power them. They don’t pollute, they don’t use up the Earth's natural resources, and they are silent, All they need is sunlight. Large solar cells are expensive, so solar electricity is still not very popular for big energy needs. For ‘small inventions like the hat fan, however, solar cells can be a great source of energy. REE LEE ADR: @ Find Solutions: Designing an Electric Toy You have just identified some problems you will face in designing an electric toy. Now you can identify possible solutions to those problems by studying another electrical device—the hat fan. Studying how an inventor made a fun, safe toy might help you and your group find solutions to designing your own. —__-9o——— Record the problems you listed in the last lesson. Beside each of them, try to list a similar problem solved by the designers of the hat fan. Study the diagram of the hat fan. Why was it important to place the fan in the position it is in? How does the design of the hat let the air blow in? —__-¢--——— How does the fan work? ‘What powers the motor? How is the battery connected to the fan? Why do the fan’s wires run on the inside of the hat? a Record the solutions the designers of the hat fan came up with. Record some possible solutions to your ‘own toy designing problems.PF A DL aOR wa Switch for Boterles— _= Solar Bttery ms <4Hat Fan The inventor of this device solved two problems at once. The hat protects your head and face from the Sun and makes a cool breeze on hot summer days. The fan can be powered by batteries or a solar cell. The hat fon has cn emergency energy supply for cdoody days. Electric current from the batteries runs ‘through the wires to the motor and back to the batteries. The ctront turns the motor ond the motor 5 turns the fon The fan blows air throug holes in the hat rim toward the wearer’s face. A cool idea! How can looking at the design of the hat fan help you design your electric toy? ROLES A RARETHINK TANK Possible models for your electric toy: Diagram Use the diagrams in the | draw a large, detailed diagram of your toy. Be sure to label the diagram to explain how your toy works. Build I Use cardboard batteries, ras wires, or other materials to create a model of your toy. ne Written Description Write an advertisement for your toy. Z detail: its parts, size, ou clearly explain hove it moves, lights up, or makes sound. e Compoter GrapiSt Use u graphics program on a computer to design the toy. g Oral Presentation Give a speech bout your toy as though you were describing it to the movie company. ) 4 gD) ZG DI ZZ @ Design and Construct: Designing an Electric To You and your group have identified problems you will face in designing an electric toy to advertise a new movie. You have also identified possible solutions to some of those problems. Now it is time to make a model of your toy. —o— —_9— Work with your group to design your electric toy. List all the parts your toy will have and the things it will be able to do. Make sure your design includes these things. Go back to Lessons 10 ‘and 11 to review how electricity can be used to make motion, sound, or light. Study the diagrams in those lessons. Will your power source be batteries, a generator, or a solar cell? Will you need fo use parallel or series circuits to connect the parts that run on electricity? How will you switch your toy on and off? If your toy moves and lights up, will the different parts have different switches? Make a model of your design. Gather your materials and go to work. Look at all the models your dass made. Did everybody have the same problems and solutions? What were the most important things you learned in this unit that helped you design an electric toy?Resources for designing your electric toy: © Your Science Journals and Reproducibles from this unit are filled with helpfl information about electricity. © Look back at the information in lessons 1—11 of this Student Book, © The reference books you have used inthis unit cam help. ‘© If you run into trouble with your design, ask another group for input. How did making a model of your toy help you discover new problems and solutions?charge: [charj] The amount of electricity in a substance. conductor: [kun-DUK-tur] ‘Material that elect: through can travel current: [KUR-unt] Electricity that moves through a circui electric circuit: [ih-Lek-trik SUR-kut] The path along which energy travels. electricity: [ih-lek-TRIS-uh-tee] A form of energy produced by a current of electrons that flow quickly through a wire or other object. Electricity can be used to produce light, heat, and sound. electrode: [ih-lek-TRODE] The part of a battery that carries electric current into or out of a battery. electrolyte: [ih-Lek-troh-lite] A liquid or paste in a battery that can conduct electricity. electromagnet: [ih-LEk-to-MAG-nit] An iron or other metal rod wrapped with wire that becomes a powerful magnet when electricity is passed through the wire. Electromagnets are used in switches, electric bells, and metal-lifting cranes. energy: [en-ur-gee] The force that makes things move or change. There are many kinds of energy including electric, heat, light, and sound. fossil fuel: [FOS-ul fyool] Fuel formed over millions of years from compression of the decayed remains of living matter. Coal, oil, and natural gas are fossil fuels. friction: [FRIK-shun], The rubbing of one surface against another. GED enue fuse: [fyooz] A fuse lets electricity flow through it but breaks the circuit when the current becomes too strong. A fuse is usually a thin wire that will melt with too much electricity. generator: [JEN-ur-ay-turl ‘A device that turns motion and other forms of energy, especially mechanical energy, into electricity. For example, @ generator on the wheel of a bike will turn the spinning of the wheel into light. magnet: [MAG-nit] ‘A substance that has the power to attract iron and steel toward it. parallel circuit: [Pare-uh-lel SUR-kut] A circuit in which the current travels along two or more separate paths to different devices; the current travels through each part of the circuit at the same time. series circuit: [SEER-eez SUR-kut] A circuit in which the current travels along a single path to two or more electric devices; the current travels through each part of the circuit in turn. ih-lek-TRIS-uh-teel that is produced when some materials are rubbed together. switch: [swich] A device that controls the flow of electric current through a circuit. Inan open circuit, a light will be off; in a closed circuit, a light will be on. turbine: [TUR-bine] ‘A machine with blades that are turned by the force of moving water, steam, or other gases. Turbines are used to power generators, water pumps, and other devices.