(EEM) Energy in Our Life: Electricity and Magnetism Module Overview

Energy in Our Life: Electricity and Magnetism Module Overview

You use electricity every day, but do you really know where it comes from? We take for granted that when we plug an appliance into the wall outlet it will work. We will learn where our electricity comes from, how it is generated, how we use it and how we will use it in the future. We will also explore magnetism which is inherently related to electricity in that most electrical generation involves the use of magnets. We will also learn the difference between direct current and alternating current, and we will study static electricity and its properties. This will be an electrifying module that will energize you about electricity and magnetism.

Module Lessons Preview

  • How do stereo speakers work?
  • How are electric circuits wired?
  • How is lightning different from the electricity that I used at home?

Key Terms

  1. Alternating Current - The flow of electric charge periodically reverses direction
  2. Ampere - Unit that is a measurement of electric current
  3. Battery - A device that can generate an electric current by creating a potential difference between two poles
  4. Bioelectricity - Electrical currents produced by living organisms
  5. Conductor - Any material that allows an electric current to flow
  6. Current - The flow of charged particles through a conductor
  7. Direct Current - Current that flows in one direction
  8. Electric Circuit - The pathway that electrical current flows through
  9. Electricity - The flow of charged particles through a conductor that has the ability to do work
  10. Electromagnet - A temporary magnet created by an electric current moving through a coiled wire
  11. Ferrous Metals - Metals that can be attracted to a magnet
  12. Load - The power leaving an electrical component
  13. Magnetic Field - The region around a magnet where influence by the magnet is present
  14. Magnetism - A property of materials that respond to an applied magnetic field
  15. Ohms Law - Voltage / Resistance = Current or I = V/r
  16. Parallel Circuit - A circuit with more than one pathway for current flow
  17. Permanent magnet - Substances that have permanent magnetic qualities
  18. Resistor - A substance that resists the flow of electricity
  19. Series Circuit - A circuit with only one pathway for current
  20. Static Electricity- A difference in charge that builds between two objects that results in a discharge of energy
  21. Superconductor - A phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance and expulsion of magnetic fields occurring in certain materials when cooled below a characteristic critical temperature
  22. Switch - A device that interrupts an electrical current
  23. Temporary magnet - Substances that have temporary magnetic properties based on the influence of electricity or other magnets
  24. Volt - The unit of measurement that describes the potential difference in charge between two points

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