Physical

Physical
Physical

Physical

Hugh Westrup
Hugh Westrup
Consultants
Pearl Tesler
Physics Instructor
City College of San Francisco
Paul Kostek
Principal, Air Direct Solutions,
Seattle
Michael Patterson
Principal Systems Engineer

Publishing Credits
Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed., Publisher
Conni Medina, M.A.Ed., Managing Editor
Diana Kenney, M.A.Ed., NBCT, Senior Editor
Dona Herweck Rice, Series Developer
Robin Erickson, Multimedia Designer
Timothy Bradley, Illustrator

Image Credits: Cover, p.1 Shutterstock; p.6 Album /

Prisma / Newscom; p.9 ArSciMed / Science Source; p.7
David Sanger Photography / Alamy; p.25 George Grall /
National Geographic Creative; pp.4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 17, 21,
24, 30, 32 iStock; pp.28, 29 Janelle Bell-Martin; p.7 Mary
Evans Picture Library / Alamy; p.21 Timothy J. Bradley;
pp.23, 27 WIkimedia Commons all other images from
Shutterstock.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Westrup, Hugh, author.

Electricity / Hugh Westrup.
pages cm
Summary: "Computers, refrigerators, and lights. They
are all powered by electricity. Many everyday objects
need electricity. But what exactly is it and how does
it work? Dig deeper into understanding the beautiful
mystery of electricity"-- Provided by publisher.
Audience: Grades 4-6.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4807-4681-7 (pbk.)
1. Electricity--Juvenile literature. 2. Electric power-
-Juvenile literature. 3. Electricity--History--Juvenile
literature. I. Title.
QC527.2.W47 2016
537--dc23
2014045204

Teacher Created Materials

5301 Oceanus Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1030
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ISBN 978-1-4807-4681-7
© 2016 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Table of C ontents
Power Hungry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Early Studies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Electrons on the Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Controlling the Current. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Electric Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Think Like a Scientist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Your Turn!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

3
Power Hungry
The date was August 14, 2003. The time was late afternoon.
A large part of eastern North America lost power. More than 50
million people had no electricity. Cell phone service went down.
Traffic lights failed. Trains and subways stopped in their tracks.
Service stations couldn’t pump gas. Businesses had to close.

Nightfall brought more troubles. Refrigerated food started to

spoil. People had to use candles and flashlights to see in the dark.
Stranded workers had to sleep on park benches. Miners were
trapped below ground all night.

4 Before
 Most power was restored within two days. But the blackout
reminded people how much modern life needs electrical energy.
Almost everything we do requires electricity. We need it to travel.
We need it to communicate. We need it for cooking, heating,
and lighting.

But what is electricity?

After 5
Early Studies
It wasn’t always clear what electricity was or what caused it.

Thales (THEY-leez) was the first scientist to study this great force.
He lived more than 2,500 years ago in Greece. Thales worked with
pieces of amber. Amber is a hard, golden resin found in trees. Thales
rubbed the amber with a cloth. That gave it the power to attract bits
of straw. These were early studies of static electricity. Thales didn’t
know what was going on, but he saw its power.

In 1820, scientist Hans Christian Oersted found that a magnetic

needle lined up with an electrified wire. The relationship between
magnetism and electricity wasn’t clear. But it appeared the
current in the wire was acting on the needle even though they
weren’t touching. In 1831, Michael Faraday proved that moving
a magnet through a loop of wire made an electric field. The wire
became electrified.

Scientists knew they

were on to something
even if they didn’t know
what it was yet. Finally
in the 1860s, James Clerk
Maxwell showed how
electricity and magnetism
were connected. And the
world was electrified with
new ideas!

6
 Self-Taught
re skeptical of
At first, scientists we
didn’t have a
Faraday’s work. He
d they couldn’t
college education an
scientist could
believe a self-taught
ng that they
figure out somethi
tually, Faraday
couldn’t. But even
s accurate.
proved his work wa

7
Electrons on
the Move
Electricity is still fascinating scientists two thousand years after
Thales. But today, it is better understood. All matter is made up of
particles called atoms. Atoms make up everything from our ears to
the air we breathe. They’re very small. Billions of atoms can fit on
the period at the end of this sentence.

It was once thought that an atom is the smallest thing there is.
In fact, the word atom comes from the Greek word atomos, which
means “indivisible.” The truth is that each atom can be divided. It’s
made up of smaller parts called protons, neutrons, and electrons.
The protons and neutrons form the nucleus at the center of the atom.
Electrons are smaller and lighter. They move randomly around the
nucleus in sections called orbitals.

Protons have a positive charge. Electrons have a negative

charge. Neutrons have no charge. Most atoms have the same
number of protons and electrons. An atom of sulfur has 16 of each.
An atom of copper has 29 of each. An atom of silver has 47 of
each. The equal numbers balance the charges. The negative and
positive charges are the same. So, the atom has a neutral charge.

But sometimes, that balance is upset. And that’s when electricity

is created!

8
 aller
Smaller and Smom is not the
know that the at
Today, scientists r and can be divi
ded.
pi ec e of m at te
smallest allest piece
ching for the sm
They are still sear atter can
r. So m e scientists think m
of m at te can keep
ite ly di vi de d. That means you
be in fin
rever.
splitting matter fo

proton
orbital

neutron

electron

Quirky Quarks only

icles that have
Quarks are part bine
ge. They com
a part of a char and
ake up protons
in groups to m ff eren t
e are six di
neutrons. Ther ra ng e,
: up, down, st
types of quarks
, and top.
charm, bottom

9
 Electrons are active particles. They can jump from one atom to
another. They can even leap from one object to another. Sometimes,
the atoms in one object lose electrons. Then, that object has a positive
charge. The other object gains electrons. It develops a negative charge.
Static electricity is the resulting buildup of a charge in an object.

When the flow of electrons is constant, it creates a current. This is

what we use to power our world. You can picture it like water flowing.
Long ago, we used water to power machines and do different types of
work. Today, we just flip a switch. We use electricity to power our
TVs, tools, and more.

Moving water, just like electricity, has two properties: pressure

and flow. A fire hose can shoot water at high speeds. Intense pressure
moves the water. A drinking fountain has low pressure. In electricity,
voltage is the pressure. It pushes an electric current through a wire. In

What’s in a Nam
The word voltage
e?
is named for
Alessandro Volta
, the scientist w
invented the ba ho
ttery. Ampere
named for André is
-Marie Ampère,
one of the first
scientists to stud
electricity serio y
usly.

10
a hose, water moves from areas of high pressure
to areas of low pressure. In electricity, electrons
move between areas of different electric charges.
A high voltage means electrons are jumping more
often between atoms.

The flow of water is the amount coming out

of the drinking fountain or hose. Flow is also
a property of electricity. In electricity, flow is
measured in amperes (amps). This is the number
of electrons flowing past a point per second.
A strong flow of electrons results in a strong
current. Zap!

11
 The electrical power of an object is
measured by multiplying voltage and amps.
Higher voltage and more amps means more
power. Electrical power is measured in watts.
A watt is the rate of energy transferred,
generated, or consumed. In other words,
it shows how much power is needed to run
something or how much power can be made.

To find out how much power a toaster

uses, multiply the power it uses by the time
it’s on. So if a 1,000-watt toaster is used for 1
hour, multiply 1,000 watts by 1 hour. Then,
take a step back and look at the numbers.
You wouldn’t measure a football field in
inches—yards make much more sense! In
the same way, power isn’t usually measured
in watt-hours. Instead, it’s measured in
larger units called kilowatt-hours. (1,000
watt-hours = 1 kilowatt-hour). So, we divide
by 1,000. That means that if a 1,000-watt
toaster is on for one hour, then it uses 1
kilowatt-hour.

1,000 watts x 1 hour

= 1 kilowatt-hour
1,000 watt hours

Electricity from a lightning

strike is enough to power the
average home for a week.

12
 Swimmers work hard to cut through water. They fight the
resistance of the water. Likewise, electric current doesn’t just
run freely in wires. When current travels through wires, there is
resistance. When resistance increases, current decreases. This
decreases power. One way to increase current is to increase voltage.
For instance, car companies can make electric cars go faster by
increasing the voltage of the car’s battery. This increases the
car’s power.

v o lt s x a m
ps = watt
s

Hamster Power
What can a generator do
for you? A 16-year-old
boy in England hooked up
a hamster wheel to a small
electric generator. When
the boy’s pet hamster ran
in the wheel, the spinning
motion turned the generator.
The boy used the current to
recharge his cell phone.

13
 Controlling
the Current
Electricity has the power to shock people.
But it’s really only useful if we can control
it. Modern cities rely on a network of wires
called an electrical power grid. The network
carries current to the city. Electricity made
by a power plant or a dam crosses the land in
large power lines. Smaller lines branch off from
the main lines. They carry the electricity above
or below ground to buildings.

Dams and power plants produce currents up

to 800,000 volts of electricity. But the electrical
devices we use every day can’t handle large
voltages. A hair dryer only uses about 120
volts. Feeding it 800,000 volts would make
it explode. So every electrical grid has
transformers that “step down” an electric
current. They reduce the voltage. A
series of transformers steps down the
voltage until it’s suitable for daily use.

It’s a powerful system!

14
 Snap, Crackle, Pop
crackling
Have you ever heard a
light near a
sound or seen a blue
en there’s
set of power lines? Wh
h- voltage
moisture in the air, hig
e a type
power lines can produc
of electrical spark.

15
 Conductors
One way to control electricity is by carefully choosing the
materials we use to build machines and appliances. Some materials
can carry an electric current. Electrons jump easily between the
atoms in these materials. These materials are called conductors.
Metals are the most common conductors. Aluminum is a good
conductor. Copper and silver are, too. That’s why electrical wires
are often made of long, thin strips of copper.

An electric current moves through a conductor in

a chain reaction. An electron jumps from the
first atom to the second atom. An electron
from the second atom jumps to a third
atom. An electron from the third atom
jumps to a fourth atom. Zap! Zap!
Zap! Zap! And on it goes.

copper wire

Direction of Current

free electron

16
 Law of Nature
can’t be
Energy can’t be created. It
ge from
destroyed. It can only chan
kind of
one form to another. That
dro ele ctric
change occurs at a hy
y of
dam. It changes the energ
ergy.
movement into electrical en

hydroelectric dam

Elect
ric Cu
rrent
atoms
o
elemef metal
nts

fre
electr e
on s

neutr
o ns

proto
ns

ed th at
Ha ve yo u ev er no tic
se em to go slo we r
ce ll ph on es
Co ld
wh en th ey ar e ho t?
ts el ec tr ici ty
me ta l co nd uc
ho t me ta l.
be tte r th an
17
 Insulators
Some materials don’t carry electric currents. Their atoms are not
like the atoms in a conductor. They don’t give up their electrons freely.
A poor conductor is called an insulator. Wood, glass, paper, rubber,
and plastic are all insulators.

Insulators are just as useful as conductors are. An electric current

can be dangerous. It can shock you. It can even kill you. So electrical
wires and devices are wrapped in insulators. They protect people
from harm.

Too Much Power!

No insulator is perfect.
When super-high voltages
are applied, an electrical
breakdown can occur and
rubber
insulator an insulator can suddenly
become a conductor.
When this happens, there’s
a large jump in current and
electricity arcs across the
material. Lightning is a
natural electric arc.

18
 resistors

Om? No! Ohm! the

editation. Ohm is
It’s not a form of m
trical resistance. It’s
standard unit of elec u
Simon Ohm. Are yo
named after Georg st at es
re? Ohm’s law
seeing a pattern he h
that can pass throug
that the current (I) d
to the voltage (V) an
a resistor is related .
the resistor provides
the resistance (R)
V
I= R

Resistors
Resistors are just what they sound like: materials that have
high resistance to something else. Electrons move in resistors,
but not as easily as they do in conductors. Resistors reduce the
flow of current. They also lower voltage levels. They create
resistance, just like what happens when currents run through
wires…but more so! Some resistors stop large amounts of
current, and others make small changes to an electrical grid.
Resistors are an important part of any electrician’s tool kit.

19
 Circuits
Think of a model train set. Imagine it running ’round and
’round the track. Break the track, and the train stops. Electricity is
like that train set. An electric current doesn’t follow a straight path.
It runs in a loop. That loop is called a circuit. Break the circuit,
and the current stops.

Designing large and small circuits is another way to control

electricity. Our electrified world is a series of circuits. Electric
grids are giant circuits. They carry powerful currents from power
plants to communities. Then, they return the current to the power
plants. Your home is a network of smaller circuits. Plug a toaster
into a wall socket. The wire between the socket and the toaster is
really two wires in one. One wire carries an electric current from
the socket to the toaster. The other wire carries current back to the
socket. That completes the circuit.

Switches are an
essential part of circuits.
They make or break the
circuits. When a switch is
on, the circuit is complete.
A current flows through
it. When a switch is off,
the circuit is incomplete.
A current cannot flow
through it.

circuit
board

20
 Make Your
Want to ma
ke your ow Own
board to bu n circuit? Y
ild it. Have ou don’t ne
batches of an adult he ed a fancy
dough—on lp you mix
e salty and up two
The salty d one sugary
ough condu .
resists elec cts electric
tricity. Con ity. The su
and a lightb nect them gary dough
ulb, and yo with wires,
u’ve got a c add a batte
Salty Doug ircuit! ry
h
Mix ingredie Sugary Dou
nts in a pot gh
over mediu S et aside 1 c
m heat. On up of flour.
it forms a b ce Mix the rem
2
all, knead it a in ing dry
until it form ingredients
s a dough. and oil in a
bowl. Slow
• blue food ly mix in th
coloring water. Kne e
• 4 cup salt
1 a d the mixtu
until it form re
s a ball. Th
• 1 Tbsp. v k nead in the e n,
egetable oil flour.
• 1 cup wa
ter • red food
• 1 21 cups fl coloring
our • 21 cup sug
• 3 Tbsp. c ar
ream of tart • 3 Tbsp. v
ar egetable oil
• 21 cup wa
ter
• 1 21 cups
flour

21
 Electricians must control two types of current. Remember Faraday?
He found that moving a magnet near a wire created an electric field. It
was the movement that was vital. As the magnet changes direction, the
current also changes direction. It alternates back and forth, back and
forth. This is what we call alternating current (AC). It’s the form used
to bring power to houses.

Current changes direction at various frequencies. In the United

States, AC power cycles 60 times per second. Other countries use
different frequencies. Electricians like using AC because they can use
high voltages with small currents. This reduces the amount of energy
lost as current moves across power lines and into homes. And that’s
always a good idea—no matter which way the current is flowing!

22
 A Closer Look pliances,
w er pl ug s co nn ect computers, ap
AC po nt in
r m ac hi ne s to alternating curre
and othe ve different
erent countries ha
our homes. Diff tors. All
ze s, an d types of connec
sh ap es , si electricity can
s ha ve at le as t two prongs so
plug
flow in a loop.

Be sa fe . Ne ve r
st ic k
an yt hi ng ex ce pt
a pl ug in
an ou tle t. An d be
ca re fu l
wh en yo u do th at
!

23
 In a battery, electrical currents only flow in one direction.
This is called direct current. Batteries are another way to control
electricity. They power everything from watches to cell phones to
laptop computers. Every year, we find new uses for them.
Alessandro Volta is the man behind the word volt. He found
that an electric current can be made by chemical reactions. Soon,
the first battery was invented. Batteries come in many shapes
and sizes. A watch battery is small and round. A car battery is
big and square. But every battery has the same basic design. At
each end of the battery is a terminal. One terminal is negative.
The other is positive. A chemical reaction at the negative terminal
releases electrons. A chemical reaction at the positive terminal
absorbs electrons.

Flashlights run on batteries. A wire runs from the battery to

the lightbulb. Another wire runs from the lightbulb back to the
battery. Turning on the switch completes the circuit. A current
runs from the negative terminal to the lightbulb. From there, the
current runs to the positive terminal. And then, it passes through
the battery to the negative terminal. The bulb lights up. Shine on!

Recharge It!
eir
All batteries run down. Th
sto p. Bu t some
chemical reactions
d. A
batteries can be recharge
in the
current is run through them
erses
opposite direction. That rev
on s. Th e
the chemical reacti
again.
batteries can then be used

24
 Shock Tactic
Electric eels are predatory
fish.
They grow 8 feet long and
live
in the rivers of South Ameri
ca.
Their bodies have thousan
ds of
cells that act like tiny batte
ries.
Together those cells gene
rate a
current. It is strong enough
to
shock and kill small animals
.

25
 Electric Glow
Lights shine. Crosswalk signs blink. Buildings glow. Gazing
out over the lights of New York City, some may see a beautiful
skyline. But scientists see the magnificent flow of electrons. They
see electric currents transferring energy, flowing over, under,
and around us. Electrons light our streets, our cities, and our
homes. They let us read late into the night and help us wake in the
morning. Electrons power our world.

26
 Electrified Ea
In 1899
rth
, Nikola Tesla
land and air to used Earth’s
send 100 mill
of electric en ion volts
ergy over 25
He powered 2 m iles.
00 lightbulbs
distance with at that
only one moto
r!

27
 ke a Scientist
Think Li like to complete
an electrical circuit?
What does it feel
find out!
Experiment and

What to Get
18-gauge copper wire

lemon

ruler

sandpaper
steel paper clip

wire clippers

28
 What to Do
1 Measure a 5-centimenter
(2‑inch) piece of wire. Cut it
with the wire clippers. Use the
wire clippers to carefully strip
the insulation from the wire.

2 Unfold and straighten the

paper clip. Measure a 5-cm
(2‑in.) piece of the straightened
paper clip. Cut it with the wire
clippers. Smooth rough edges off
the ends of the wire and paper
clip with the sandpaper.
3 Squeeze the lemon in your hand
until it’s soft.
4 Insert the wire and paper clip
into the lemon. Position them so
they are close to each other but
are not touching.
5 Moisten your tongue with saliva.
Pick up the lemon and touch
the tip of your tongue to the free
ends of the paper clip and the
wire. What do you feel?

29
 Glossary
amperes—units for measuring orbitals—regions around a
the rate at which electric nucleus in an atom or a
current flows molecule that can contain
zero, one, or two electrons
circuit—a complete path that
electric currents travel along pressure—the weight or force
that is produced when
conductors—materials
something presses or pushes
or objects that allow
against something else
electricity or heat to move
through them properties—special qualities or
characteristics of something
current—a flow of electricity
resistors—devices that
electrons—negatively charged
are used to control the
particles in an atom
flow of electricity in an
field—a region or space electric circuit
in which an effect or
voltage—the force of an
force exists
electrical current that is
force—a push or pull on an measured in volts
object
watts—units for measuring
insulator—a material that electrical power
allows little or no heat,
electricity, or sound to go
into or out of something

30
 Index
amber, 6–7 static electricity, 6, 10

Ampère, André-Marie, 10 switch, 10, 20, 24

atoms, 8–11, 16–18 Tesla, Nikola, 27

battery, 10, 13, 21, 24 transformers, 14

charge, 8–11 Volta, Alessandro, 10, 24

circuits, 20–21, 24 voltage, 10–15, 18–19, 22

conductors, 16, 18–19

electric eels , 25

electrons, 8–11, 16–19, 24, 26

Faraday, Michael, 6–7, 22

generator, 13

grid, 14, 19–20

insulators, 18

lightning, 12, 18

magnet, 6, 22

Maxwell, James Clerk, 6

Oersted, Hans Christian, 6

Ohm, Georg Simon, 19

31
 Your Turn!

Giving Thanks
Take time to appreciate electricity with a fireside
dinner! Grab some friends and an adult and try making a
meal without using any electricity. That means no oven,
no refrigerator, and no dishwasher! Talk about what you
would miss most in a world without electricity, and enjoy
your feast.

32
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